


The Perks of Being Jealous

by Team_Cap



Series: RuSa fanfictions [1]
Category: Pocket Monsters SPECIAL | Pokemon Adventures
Genre: Breaking the boundaries, F/M, Franticshipping - Freeform, Friendship, I Guess It Is, Jealous Ruby, Jealousy, M/M, One-Sided Attraction, Romance, ルサ
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-10
Updated: 2018-12-15
Packaged: 2019-06-25 08:17:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 26,430
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15636807
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Team_Cap/pseuds/Team_Cap
Summary: Ruby is absolutely certain that the negative emotion he is currently experiencing is definitely not jealousy. Why would he be jealous? He swore he didn't forget their promise this time."I am not jealous. I'm just annoyed at the fact that you like her."A re-upload of my very first PokeSpe fanfic from FFN last April 2016 - May 2016.





	1. Emotional Starting Point

**Author's Note:**

> This a re-upload of my first PokeSpe fanfic which I first published on FFN two years ago. Please note that since this is my first fanfic, there will be lots of errors. ;w;
> 
> And yes, the title came from "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" by Stephen Chbosky. No, this is not based from that book. The story was something I came up after reading all the franticshipping fanfics on FFN.
> 
> Also as I was editing this, I noticed Ruby and Sapphire were in their post RS, pre-Emerald personas. Well, this was written months before the ORAS chapter ended, so their character development wasn't applied that much here. I think I've written this when the chapter 16 of ORAS was out? Anyway, expect they would not be in their post-ORAS characters.
> 
> And about Ruby and Sapphire's age, everyone is free to interpret their age. But for sure they weren't less than twenty years old on this. (I'm against pedophilia, so....yeah...)

* * *

Ruby let out a sigh as he felt the cool breeze of Lilycove City's busy environment. He took out the PokéNav from his pocket and checked the time which says fourteen-thirty, two-thirty in the afternoon. He let out another sigh, this time, to calm himself.

He had been waiting for thirty minutes for his master's friend to arrive and he was getting a bit impatient.

Wallace was supposed to pick up his old friend, but somehow that so-called Gym Leaders Conference got in the way. It left Wallace with no other option but to let his student pick up his friend. According to Wallace, Ruby could quickly recognize his friend by his appearance: he was a twenty-three-year-old Caucasian man with an average height, light blue eyes with big, nerdy glasses, a messed up curly black hair and somehow a slightly eccentric atmosphere once he started talking.

There was no doubt that Ruby could recognize his master's friend quickly, but what he didn't know was there were a lot of Caucasian people with different hair colors, including the color black, that had been wondering around Lilycove and it was quite hard to know who exactly was his master's friend.

Well, it was his master's fault for forgetting to tell his friend's name after all. If he were going to blame someone for wasting his time, then it would be his Master. The details he gave weren't enough to know who his friend's exact identity was.

It was a good thing that the guard from `Sawsbucks Coffee wasn't telling him to leave since he was not buying anything from the café. He didn't want to wait away from Sawsbucks' clean environment where there was dirt involved.

"I finally found you. Well, I guess I have to thank your white beanie or...hat I should say."

Ruby went out of his trance once he heard that witty, yet regal voice. After blinking a few times, he finally made an eye contact with the speaker. He didn't know who he was, that was one note. However, after a quick scan of the man's appearance, it was definitely his master's friend. He felt speechless for staring at him for too long. "H-How?"

"Oh, I'm sorry. It's rude of me to call you like that." He gave the lad an eccentric smile and reached his hand. "The name's Zachary, but you can call me Zach. I'm Wallace's friend from Unova."

Ruby nodded at the man and stood up from his seat. He fixed his clothes, making sure he looks regal yet fabulous in front of his master's friend. Afterwards, he accepted the man's hand to give him a welcoming handshake. "It's nice to meet you, sir."

"Oh no..." Zach gave the lad a sheepish smile. "You're not calling me sir. Just call me Zach, simple as that. I'm pretty sure our age gap isn't  _that_  large."

Now Ruby understood why this man was eccentric. He certainly talked a lot in spite of his witty-regal voice. "Excuse me, but how did you know that I'm—"

"Wallace's student? He gave me the details. I understand he won't be able to pick me up because of that meeting—convention or whatever they call it. Besides, I only want him to pick me up 'cause I'm gonna treat him. All bills on me."

Ruby just nodded. The way Zach kept on talking just reassured him that his master was right for calling Zach an odd person.

"You don't have to worry though. I know my way around Hoenn since my last visit was well, last year. I think it was last year. Oh wait, that's two years ago. Man, I need to fix my memory or something."

"Well then, welcome to Hoenn." Ruby responded, not knowing what else to say.

Zach gave the charmer a huge grin. He lifted his arms on his level, giving him a thumbs up on both hands. He then took a deep breath and looked at the coffee shop in front of him. "Anyway, let's go inside and get to know each other. You're my friend's student after all."

Ruby was surprised to hear that. He was only tasked to pick him up from Lilycove City and drop him off to whatever vacant hotel they could find. Things were definitely not going according to his to plan as he hoped. "Thank you, sir. I mean, Zach, but I politely decline. You see, I was only tasked to escort you to whatever hotel we can find. Besides, I have to pick up my friend at four in Fortree City. She's...training alone, without her master, and...she must be tired from all that training, so I'm going there to pick her up."

Zach's curious eyes met Ruby's serious ones. His lips slowly curved into a teasing smirk. "By  _her_ , you meant your girlfriend, eh?"

Ruby responded with a slight blush on his face, both from embarrassment and some unknown emotions compressing in his chest.

"Whoa, dude." Zach suddenly backed off, now removing the smirk on his face. "Calm down. I'm just teasing! Unless she is then, I'll probably stop teasing since it's you know, a fact. Nonetheless, I might tease you guys to stop flirting instead, if I ever get the chance to meet her."

"S-She's not." Ruby stuttered as he rolled his eyes at him, avoiding his gaze.  _At least, not yet._

Zach jerked his head to his right, curiously eyeing the charmer. He seemed to be telling the truth. "Okay. If she isn't then you wouldn't mind I treat you at Sawsbucks."

"But—" Ruby tried to tell a lot of reasons why he should leave, but all were no to avail. Zach had already placed his hands on his shoulders and dragged Ruby inside in the famous Sawsbucks Coffee.

"Sorry, lad. I insist. I'm not taking 'no' for an answer. Besides, it's my treat. I'll pay all the bills. I'm sure your friend wouldn't mind. Just tell her that I was an hour late. She wouldn't mind that."

Ruby only let out an exasperated sigh. This was going to be a long day.

 

* * *

 

With their orders on the table of their place in the coffee shop, Zach first decided to eat, telling the charmer he was always hungry. He told Ruby that he could eat whatever he had ordered since he was paying all the bills.

Ruby just nodded politely and thanked him for his treat. Honestly, he was not expecting that he was  _that_  rich to treat him to the world-famous coffee shop. He may not have a lot of money like Zach, or even the Berlitz family, but Ruby knew that not only Sawsbucks' menu was delicious—his first time in here was when Wallace treated him when he finally got his Christmas bonus—but they were also a bit expensive for a regular person with a regular salary. He guessed he must be lucky that Zach was rich.

"First thing's first." Zach finally started as he swallowed the oran berry cheesecake he had been eating. "What's your name lad? I got a bad habit of remembering people's names. Well...not really, just the people that I don't meet yet."

"It's Ruby." He responded bluntly.

"Hmm...matches your eyes' color. What's with parents these days? They often give weird names to their kids."

Ruby just blankly stared at him. Did this mean his name was weird?

"There's one whose name is a combo of his parents' respective names, but I'm not gonna say it. The guy might be embarrassed thanks to his parents' combo name, but don't worry. Your name is not weird. I like the fact that it matches your eyes. At least its colors. Anyway, what are you? A Pokémon trainer or something?"

Ruby tried to his best process everything he had said. He was starting to wonder  _how_  Wallace became friends with him in the first place. Zach was too eccentric and he definitely talked a lot. "I...I participate in Pokémon contests, actually."

"Splendid, I should say! I mean, I hardly see a male Pokémon trainer who is interested in contests. Well, not hardly see, but hardly met. I understand why you have to look neat at all times. Your reputation is at hand." Zach added an innocent chuckle. This lad was starting to pique his interest. "Anyway, what's going on with your life? Have you accomplished a lot or something? Oh, try their oran berry cheesecake. I swear it's delicious! Come on, don't be shy."

"Uh...thanks." Ruby just did what the man said and used his fork to get a piece of the cheesecake. Honestly, he was starting to feel a bit uncomfortable with his questions. He swore he didn't sign up for an interview. Nonetheless, he was happy to know that Zach wasn't complaining as to why he was not a trainer who prefers Pokémon battles since most guys were. Sure he did some battles, but he only did that when it was necessary or when no one was looking.

"Ooh, sorry for my manners, mate. I mean come on! Straight eight hours for not talking? I mean, I didn't know anyone on that freaking boat, so I literally did not talk for eight hours, so that's why I have to let it all go and talk."

"It's okay, Zach. I...uh...haven't talked to anyone for the last thirty minutes." Ruby said, trying not to sound sarcastic. He was starting to get used to Zach's eccentric atmosphere, thankfully, but he just wanted to get this meal done and escort him to whatever hotel they could find as soon as possible. He had a lot of things to do, well more like to ask Sapphire with regards to her sudden training. That was why he wanted to pick her up hours before his usual time.

"Ah yes, that thirty-minute delay. I apologize. I got distracted by some...merchandise. But, enough talk, let's just enjoy this quality time we had together and have fun, you know? Besides, it's my first time meeting Wallace's student."

Ruby just nodded at him. What else should he say? What else should he ask? He might as well let Zach do all the talking. It was a win-win situation since Zach not only asked questions about him, but he also talked a lot about his life. He glanced at the coffee shop's enormous clock, which says fifteen, three in the afternoon. At least he had one hour left before he takes his leave to Fortree City.

The rest of their conversation is all about Zach's life: what made him go to Hoenn in the first place, his family, his background and how he and Wallace became friends. He had been to Hoenn before like he said, but he forgot his way around after a year. He was still an amateur businessman but found Pokémon contests interesting since he was getting tired of the Pokémon Musicals and the Pokéstar Studios' films, with a bunch of sequels after the first film instead of making a new one. As much as he wanted to take his Pokémon out, it might cause chaos in Sawsbucks since it was not a fan of the smell of coffee.

Ruby found it weird that Zach's Pokémon didn't like the smell of coffee. Coffee was a product of nature, right? In his perspective, the smell of coffee was amazing. It was not that much of a pain in the nose. Nonetheless, it all made sense once he thought about it: like master, like Pokémon.

After several minutes of listening to Zach, he glanced at the clock once again. He only had five minutes left until four and he needed to leave now.

"Aww man. Thank Arceus for the food. That was a fun meal. By the way, there's no need to escort me to the hotel. I'll tell Wallace that I told you."

"Um… thanks. Anyway," Ruby stood up from his seat and slightly bent his head, bowing at Zach. "I...uh...enjoyed our time together. Thank you for the free food. I appreciate it."

Zach bobbed his head. "Nah, it's fine, no worries. I can treat you anytime you want. Besides, we've been here for too long, my stomach needs a little rest from digesting the food."

Ruby stared at him for few seconds, and then nodded. In spite of the short time they've spent, he still thought that he was...weird. He made a mental note to ask Wallace how he became friends with Zach.

"Anyway, let's go and—"

"There ya are. I ain't surprised you're in this so-called fancy place."

Zach and Ruby flinched at the sudden voice and turned around to look at the source. Everything certainly did not turn out as planned.

"Wow, that is quite an accent, miss."

Ruby and Sapphire ignored Zach's statement. One reason was that Sapphire didn't know who he was and Ruby's reason was he was absolutely tired of listening to Zach for hours.

"Sapphire, what are you doing here? I'm supposed to pick you up at four."

"Yeah, well my trainin' ended quickly as I thought." Sapphire bluntly responded while enjoying the smell of coffee, sugar, and cream in the air. She had to admit she was starting to like the place's smell. "Why didn't ya tell me yer here? I though ya were enterin' a contest."

"I wasn't. I was tasked by my Master to pick him up. That's my only reason why I'm here." Ruby said and pointed at Zach, who was behind him.

"Zachary here, just call me Zach, nice to meet you." He reached his hand while Sapphire just stared at it. "Okay, maybe you don't go via handshake. What's your name, miss?"

Sapphire was still confused at the guy's energy. Where did it all come from? She was starting to feel a bit uncomfortable at his presence. "S-Sapphire."

"Is this a coincidence or do  _both_  your names match your eyes' respective colors?" Zach asked, receiving a blunt stare from the teens. "What? I'm just curious. I swear I just noticed it. Anyway, how long were you friends? Oh wait, let me guess. Is it more than three years? Is she participating in contests too or in battles or both?"

"I thought the food in here is expensive?" Sapphire asked Ruby, both ignoring Zach and his rant.

Ruby gave her an arrogant smirk but made sure that Zach wouldn't see it. "He actually treated me."

Sapphire let out a sigh of exasperation at his response. It was not that she was jealous that he got free food, really. She was just disappointed that they didn't eat at this so-called fancy place together. "Ya just got lucky, idiot. Anyway, just here to tell ya that I'm goin' home."

"Hold on, I'm coming with you." Ruby followed Sapphire outside of Sawsbucks. Once he got out, he was surprised to see Troppy waiting a few meters away from the entrance. "Sapphire, isn't it rude to let Troppy stand meters away from the entrance? A parking place is there for a reason."

"Troppy isn't hurtin' or disturbin' no one. That's what matters." Sapphire responded, trying her best not to start an argument with him, and hopped onto the Pokémon's back. "You comin' or what?"

Ruby just let out a sigh just to hide his smile from the girl. That was Sapphire for you. She was never afraid to be herself and she always had this ability to make him smile despite that the reasons were a bit exaggerated. He sometimes wondered why he fell for her in the first place. The thought made Ruby mentally slap his forehead.

Where did that come from?

Sure his feelings for her grew stronger as the years passed, but he was still having a hard time getting used to it. In other words, these feelings were still new to him.

"I gotta admit your friend is adorable, naturally adorable."

Ruby knew that Zach is the man behind him. Moreover, he knew that he was the one who said that Sapphire was adorable. The truth was she  _is_  adorable. She was cute, in fact. He took a deep breath, calming himself.

Nonetheless, Zach's statement gave Ruby some unknown, negative emotions forming in him. He didn't know it yet, but he was certain that it was annoying when Zach said Sapphire was adorable. If anyone was going to say that Sapphire is adorable, then that anyone would be and only him.

"Anyway, you guys should head home safely. Maybe the next time I see either of you, I'll let you in for a treat. Free food from me."

Ruby just nodded at Zach's farewell. In spite of the offer, he was still annoyed that Zach said she was adorable.


	2. Rampaging Emotions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a really...really....really old work...

* * *

Despite everything didn't turn out as planned yesterday, Ruby still managed to get some answers about Sapphire's sudden training.

According to Sapphire, she didn't want her Pokémon to get out of shape. He understood her, nonetheless. After all, he and his Pokémon had to look decent, or fabulous, rather, at all times.

The main topic of their flight home was all about Zach and his peculiar personality, much to Ruby's dismay. He had to admit he was still annoyed that he called her adorable.

It all started when Sapphire said that guy was eccentric beyond reason and asked him how he survived hanging out with Zach in spite of his weird atmosphere. Ruby as well was still having a hard time believing that he  _did_  hang out with him for a few hours. If he weren't his Master's friend, then he would have left Zach in spite of the free food.

Since Sapphire had a highly developed sense of hearing, he also asked whether she heard what Zach said when they went outside of Sawsbucks or not. To his pleasure, she wasn't listening to every word Zach was saying. A few minutes of Zach's weirdness was already enough for Sapphire to handle.

She asked him why though, to which he responded with a sigh of relief and mumbling something about him just being curious about it. She wasn't satisfied with his answer thanks to her curiosity. Therefore, the remaining twenty minutes of their flight was their constant bickering. Thankfully, Troppy the Tropius was used at it, so it ignored the lovebirds for the rest of the flight.

* * *

 

Ruby thought that he was finally free from the intense awkwardness from yesterday, but he was absolutely wrong.

Before the clock strikes noon, he received a call from his Master saying that he couldn't help Zach move his stuff to the hotel he found in Fortree City. How Zach managed to get to Lilycove from Fortree was a huge mystery, but Ruby was uninterested in the details. Since he didn't want to disappoint his Master, Ruby had no other option.

"Why can't ya just tell Rara to teleport ya there? It'll be quicker than flyin'." Sapphire protested while glaring at the charmer. Honestly, all she wanted to do was rest after her constant training yesterday. In spite of her strong team, they too deserve a long rest.

"Because I just groomed Rara this morning and I don't want to her to—"

"Get dirty, yes, I know." Sapphire interrupted with all the sarcasm she could muster. After years of knowing him, his fear of getting his Pokémon dirty hadn't left yet. He really needed to know that he couldn't keep them away from dirt for a long time.

Ruby gave her a sincere smile. "Good. I guess it's settled then."

"Yeah, sure but we're usin' Kirly to teleport you there." She took out Kirly's Poké Ball and sent out the Psychic-Fighting type in a flash.

"Hold on, just me? You're not coming?" Ruby asked as he observed Sapphire's Gallade. Just as he thought, Kirly was covered with dirt. He made sure he was going to groom him later.

"I'll lend him to ya, just take care of him."

"But Kirly is covered with dirt."

Hearing that word, Sapphire immediately went closer to Ruby. Her eyebrows furrowed as irk shrouded her eyes, staring at him for an intense glare. "Ya ain't goin' to get dirty when he teleports ya! I'm sure you know that!"

"I know," Ruby responded, rolling his eyes from her. It was his only way to avoid their proximity and the heat from his cheeks at once. "But how come you're not coming? It'll be quick, I swear, come on Kirly, teleport us to Fortree City."

"Don't teleport him with me, Kirly, 'til he tells me who he's meetin' up with."

"If I told you, then you wouldn't come."

"It wouldn't hurt to tell, ya know?!"

"You won't come if I tell you!"

"I told ya I'll come if ya tell me!"

Kirly let out a sigh, shaking his head on both sides, and watched the lovebirds bicker. Despite that he was quite used to it, he was still wondering why they liked each other in the first place.

Well, not really.

It was more like a deeper and a more serious emotion than infatuation, which was a fact.

After a few minutes, he let out another sigh, now getting tired at their argument, and teleported them to Fortree City. With them gone, peace finally returned to the secret base.

* * *

 

Unaware of the fact that Kirly teleported both of them in Fortree City, thanks to their argument, Ruby and Sapphire reached their destination in a matter of minutes. They both landed on the ground with a thud and a bright light accompanying them.

Sapphire gained consciousness a few minutes after their landing. The familiar scent, however, caught her off guard. Unfortunately, she didn't land on the ground. She landed on Ruby's chest. The thought of Ruby made her flinch with a blush accompanying her cheeks. Kirly definitely did this on purpose. It looked like she needed to talk to him once she went back home.

"At least we came here quickly."

Sapphire went out of her trance as her blush grew in a deeper shade of red. How long was she on a trance? How long was Ruby awake? She hadn't left her spot for a while. Whatever happened was absolutely humiliating. "Yer awake?!"

"Only for a couple of minutes." Ruby responded, not making an eye contact with the girl on his lap. Honestly, he  _was_  the first one to gain consciousness after their arrival. He didn't wake her up on purpose. He didn't know why, but somehow his body became numb and it was also the fact that his emotions were in a riot when he realized that she was on his chest. Nonetheless, he just hoped Sapphire didn't know he was lying.

In reality, however, she knew that he was lying. Despite she badly wanted to tell it _,_  she opted not to, for she doesn't want to start another argument. It was not that she was tired of it, but she thought it was best not to in their current situation.

 _Speakin' of..._  Sapphire awkwardly stood up from the charmer's lap and let out a sigh in relief. At least, their awkward situation was no longer at hand. "I'm goin' home."

Ruby stood up as well. He fixed his clothes and his hat making sure that there was no dirt and wrinkles on it. "Wait, since, you're here." He started, placing his hand on Sapphire's shoulder. "Let's finish that task first before we head home."

"What task?" Sapphire bluntly asked and gave him a curious look with her adorable fangs poking out of her top lip.

Ruby often found it adorable whenever she gave him that look, especially with her fangs sticking out. He was surprised when he first saw her fangs years ago, but as the time passed, he learned to appreciate it. It makes her look more adorable, or cute, rather. "It's—"

"HEY GUYS, I'M SURPRISE TO SEE YOU HERE!"

Ruby and Sapphire shuddered once they heard that voice. On a scale of one to ten, they would rate their anticipation to hang out with Zach to be a negative number. If negative infinity or an imaginary number were possible, then that would be their specific answer.

"Don't tell me yer gonna hang out with him again?" Sapphire muttered, loud enough for Ruby to hear.

"I don't have a choice." He quietly said while forcing himself to look happy in front of Zach.

"Now I understand why ya won't tell me."

"I told you so."

"What are you doing here? I swear if Wallace said that I needed help in picking my stuff, I said I was fine. I can take care of it. Luke, my Lucario, is helping me as well. It's not  _that_  much luggage. They're just a few, well three luggage. I know I have carried too much since my last trip, but hey, I know that now. It's hard traveling when you have too much stuff. Oh hey, Sapphire, you're here as well?" Zach put all his attention on the girl and gave her his most adorable smile. In their perspectives, however, it was nothing but a fifty percent peculiar smile.

Sapphire wanted to say something sarcastic but opted to nod instead. Ruby, on the other hand, was trying his best to control his fuming emotions from the peculiar man. Yesterday, Zach called her adorable and now he was smiling like a goofball at her?! He swore he was getting more annoyed whenever Zach looks at Sapphire.

"Let's just get this over with." Sapphire quietly said to Ruby. She nudged his left arm as gently as she could (if possible) to get his attention.

Ruby just nodded at her and proceeded to the task at hand. They told Zach that it was Wallace's request that they, more like Ruby as Sapphire thought in her head, should help him, but after a few minutes of protests on both sides, Zach finally said that he would let them help. However, their help should be going to a fancy restaurant and all expenses were on him.

Ruby and Sapphire thought that it was an odd request and both were still hesitating on it. It was true that no one could deny free food. However, going on a meal with Zach in a fancy restaurant means a possible weird apocalypse. They may be exaggerating, but sadly, it was the truth.

While hesitating, Zach reassured that they were going to have a great time hanging out. Another minute passed, both finally made a unanimous decision. It was only for a few minutes, right?

* * *

 

Zach brought them in one of the world's famous restaurants, Victorious Victini. The name may not be that creative and a bit odd, but the place and its food were absolutely phenomenal where its designs were based from Liberty Island from the Unova Region.

According to Zach, the restaurant originated in Unova and the name was its 'good luck charm'. He also revealed that he was the owner of the original restaurant in Unova, which explained his sudden interest in treating the Pokédex holders. They both didn't expect that, though, but for some unknown reason, he gained their respects but they still thought he was weird.

Like what happened yesterday, Zach did most of the talking. Though he asked some questions to Ruby and Sapphire, some are unanswered thanks to his interruptions by telling them to try the food.

"Aww, we ran out of pinap berry juice. I'll go and tell them to give us more. Be right back. I also need to check on the crew as well. It's my job as the owner, you know? Anyway, I'll be in a jiff."

Ruby released a sighed in relief as soon as Zach left their table. He was starting to notice Zach's behavior towards Sapphire. Zach still had most of his weirdness, but he was becoming more like a gentleman to her. True, every man should respect Sapphire, but Zach's actions were a bit suspicious. One of the most obvious was where he often smiled captivatingly whenever he looks or glances at her.

It was a relief that Sapphire was oblivious to it. Either that or it didn't bother her. But those reasons weren't enough to stop Ruby's emotions from fuming. He swore he had never seen any guy smiling at her like that. Did Zach like her? If he did, then he was definitely in for a fight.

"Ya okay? You're awfully quiet."

Ruby snapped out of his thoughts and tried his best to look calm in spite of his fuming emotions. He forgot that Sapphire was right beside him. She didn't need to know that there was something bothering him. "Yeah, I'm fine. I just, you know... let Zach do all the talking."

"I feel ya." Sapphire said in a dull tone and tried to take a slice of the chocolate cake from the plate. Ruby, however, stopped her from doing so. "What gives?"

"Allow me." He said and led her hand to take a slice. She blushed at the contact of his warm hand on hers but let him guide it. "Besides, you don't want to ruin the cake. You often take a slice aggressively."

Instead of replying back with sarcasm, and possibly start another argument with him, she lifted her arm and used her elbow to nudge his chest with such force after he placed the cake slice on her plate.

"Ow, Sapph, that was just a joke."

"I know," She responded and rolled her eyes at him. Finally, she could breathe again now that his hand was not on hers. She may be used to their physical contacts, but her rampaging emotions and the blush from her cheeks whenever he touched her, intentionally or accidentally, seem to not have any plans on leaving. "By the way, he... uh... he doesn't seem bad." She said just so she could ignore her rampaging emotions from the early incident.

"Eh?" He heard it correctly, right? His ears must be playing a trick on him. Was this a part of their senior Blue's blackmail? He hoped not.

"Zach," Sapphire said directly, oblivious to Ruby's anxious reaction. "Though he's still weird, he ain't that bad."

Ruby just wanted to drown himself in an ocean of chocolate milk mix. It was true that Zach wasn't  _that_  bad in spite of his weirdness, but hearing it from Sapphire somehow made a great disturbance in his emotions. "Does... does that mean I'm not a sissy if I were rich?" He asked, trying not to sound insecure.

Sapphire let out a chuckle at his sudden question. "No. Yer still a sissy."

Ruby swore he wanted to lock himself in his room for weeks after hearing that.

Seeing his sulking reaction, she immediately said, "I'm kiddin', alright? Ya maybe a sissy, but at least yer not like Zach who's weird beyond all reason."

Ruby had somehow forgotten about locking himself in his room for a week. At least, she still thought Zach was weird. That was a bonus for him, right?

"Hey there, sorry for the delay. It turns out we ran out of pinap berries. So, why not try this mago berry juice. Maybe I should tell the chefs to do some combo berry juices. It'll make the meal more exciting. Of course, the combo has to taste good as well. Otherwise, I'm done for." Zach placed the pitcher full of mago berry juice on the table and seated across them. "Now, who wants more food?" He asked, grinning like an idiot, and continued talking despite that Ruby and Sapphire were partially listening.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I honestly don't wanna add the rest of the chapters of this fic, but I saw a few kudos and views so why not? Haha. If people like it, then I'll continue it despite their numbers. Yes, even if it's just one person, I'll still continue it. So yeah. ^^'
> 
>  
> 
> ~~**But hey, read my latest franticshipping fanfic, _"Incomplete"_. I worked really hard on it and literally gathered a ton of beta readers just to make sure it's that worth reading. Hehe..... Please read it if you have time. T^T** ~~   
> 


	3. Favor

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uhhh...did I mention that I wrote this last 2016, and today's October 18, 2018? Yeah...hehe. Not much has changed in the story if you first read this on FFN. I just fixed some "cringey" grammars (actually Grammarly did all the work for me).
> 
> Also, notice that I first published this in April 2016 and ORAS ended in September 2016 (never forget the 5-page Epilogue extension of Chapter 21 that came out on Sapphire's birthday, hehe), so Ruby and Sapphire are not in their post-ORAS persona unlike all of my fics, hehe. So yeah. ^^'

* * *

Days turned into weeks and weeks turned into months, at least, that was what Ruby felt whenever he spent his time with Zach. It was like wherever he went, Zach was always mysteriously there. He didn't know if this was a coincidence or the alpha Pokémon, Arceus, was making fun of him. He swore he had enough of Zach's weirdness, for he had been experiencing it for a week.

It was not that he hated the guy, but he just thought he needed a rest from the weirdness. Another good thing to note was where Zach impulsively told Ruby that he was starting to like Sapphire and asked him a bunch of questions about her.

_"It's funny that I ask a lot of questions about her. Maybe it'_ _s the fact that... you know, I like her."_

After their talk that day, Ruby couldn't control his emotions from rampaging. He was still having a hard time believing that Zach had a crush on Sapphire. In his perspective, it was definitely the worst thing that could ever happen. He knew he had said it more than once, but for the sake of assurance, he and only he had the right to say that he had those certain feelings for Sapphire. Did he sound selfish? Oh, he definitely was. No one could have a crush on Sapphire but himself, and that was enough proof.

Going back to the main question that had been bugging his thoughts for a while, how  _did_  Zach's feelings develop it in the first place? After thinking about it for quite some time, he remembered where Zach stated that her cuteness was the starting point of that certain feeling.

_"I've met a lot of girls during my travels, but oh dear Arceus! She's adorable! When I first saw her, I already took notice of it. What's with her fangs? Is she born with it? Nevermind. She looks adorable in there as well."_

As much as he wanted to glare or to punch Zach until he said he didn't like Sapphire, Ruby refrained himself from doing it, since he wa _s_  his master's friend. However, his annoyance towards Zach couldn't help but to increase.

He thought things were starting to go back to normal by not seeing Zach for two days, but boy he was absolutely wrong. While Ruby and Sapphire were on their way home from their secret base, they came across the guy they both did not want to see.

_"Hey, guys!" Zach called and approached the teens with a smile on his face._

_Ruby and Sapphire wanted to run away and hide in their secret base just by seeing Zach. They didn't want another dose of awkwardness._

_"I can't believe we just came across, eh? It's like a path of diversity or something. Okay, that didn't make any sense." He continued to which he received a stare from them. "Anyhow, wanna see a photo of me and Professor Birch? Why not a photo of me and the Petalburg City gym leader, Norman?"_

_"Eh?!" They both asked at once and wondered how he managed to take a photo of him with their respective fathers._

_"I haven't told you guys, but I'm actually a huge fan of all the Gym Leaders and P_ _okémon Professors. Whenever I travel, I often make an appointment with them and take their photos with me on it. Check this out," He squatted down on their level, turned on the camera he was holding and showed them the photos. "This is me with professor Oak. I was actually in Kanto last month. He's a nice guy and all. Oh, here's me with his grandson, Green. Man, he's cool! He's the coolest guy I've ever met! Oh and here's me with Professor Birch. He's really cool as well. Oh, here's me with Norman. I heard he's strict, but it was fun talking to him! Finally," He slowly stood until he reached Ruby's level. He placed his hand on Ruby's shoulder and pressed the camera's button._

_"Wait, I_ — _"_

_In a matter of seconds, the camera took their photo. "Me with Ruby, and..." He removed his hand on the lad's shoulder and he now placed it on Sapphire's shoulder._

_"W-What?!"_

_"Me with Sapphire." He removed his hands on hers and showed them the photos. "Now I have a memento of you guys!"_

_"Do ya have to take our photos as a memento!?" An irked Sapphire asked._

_"Oh come on, it's fun!" Zach responded with a smile. He put the camera in his pocket just to make sure they wouldn't try to take it and delete their respective photos. "Besides, it's worth remembering. We can look at it and remember those fun times, especially when we had our first date. Oh, wait. I should have asked..." He paused and gave her a sheepish smile. "Would you like to go on a date with me?"_

_Sapphire gaped in horror. Why was he asking her out!? Did he hit his head or something?_

_Ruby, on the other hand, was having a hard time believing what Zach had said. He heard it correctly, right? If this were a dream, he would like to wake up now._

_Zach let out an innocent chuckle at her reaction and bluntly said, "I asked you out on a date. I swear you'll have a great time. The bills are on me, and I bet you'll look absolutely adorable on our time. That is if you agree. I'm hoping you will."_

_Ruby's face darkened. The only thing in his mind was the desperation to hear her disagree._

_"I swear we will have a great time." Zach's tone was happy yet desperate. He really wanted her affirmation._

_After a minute of staring, Sapphire didn't hesitate. She gave him a nonchalant stare and said, "No. Not interested."_

_It was now Zach's turn to gape, this time, with disappointment. "Holy crap."_

_Ruby had never been relieved after hearing Sapphire's answer. If she agreed, he would have isolated himself from society until the nightmare was over._

_"Well... I guess rejection does hurt, and I didn't expect that. Anyway, I'm not gonna give up. You'll agree to go out with me one time. Well, eventually. See you around!"_

_Ruby could feel his fists were shaking from intense irritation, and possibly jealousy, but he was absolutely, very stubborn to admit it. It would be the end of the world if Sapphire would go on a date with Zach. Nonetheless, she wouldn't go out with Zach once he asked her again, right?_

* * *

 

"Admit it; you're jealous."

Ruby gave Wallace a curious look. His eyebrows furrowed, confused from his master's words. "What?"

At exactly nine in the morning, he received a call from Wallace, telling him to go to Fortree City. Ruby responded with a compliant groan at first, concluding it was about Zach again, but asked his master why. To his relief, Wallace said that he should help him move Winona's stuff to her newly built house since she and Sapphire were waiting for the house furniture to be finished.

Sighing, Ruby told his master that he would be on his way while mentally thanking that it wasn't anything involved with Zach. He let Rara used teleport and he arrived at his destination in a matter of minutes. While helping Wallace put the boxes inside, he asked his student what happened when he let him hang out with his friend. Ruby mentally groaned just by hearing Zach's name. Nonetheless, he told everything to his master. Somehow, he couldn't control his frustration whenever he talked about Zach, which gave Wallace that conclusion.

"I said you're jealous; just admit it."

"I'm not." Ruby denied sternly. He was certainly, one hundred percent, not jealous. Why would he be jealous? "I'm... just annoyed, that's all."

Wallace nodded slowly. He had to admit this was his first time seeing Ruby this jealous. It was evident that he and Winona knew that their students liked each other. However, it was a bit irritating to see them hide their mutual feelings for one another. That's why Wallace often teased Ruby whenever Sapphire is involved. Zach having a crush on Sapphire was a surprise, though. He never expected it to happen. "Then, I'm pretty sure you wouldn't mind telling Zach where Sapphire is?"

"Wait, what?!" Ruby frantically scanned his surroundings to look for that certain peculiar man. Thankfully, he wasn't around and he fell for it. "Master, what was that for?" He asked with all the annoyance he could muster.

Wallace chuckled at his student's reaction. Ruby often fell in his miniature pranks when it comes to his affections for Sapphire and this one was another definite proof. "It's just a joke, calm down."

Ruby responded with an exasperated sigh. He sometimes wondered how his master knew about his feelings for the girl. He had probably found it out from Winona or from his father.

Before Wallace could make Ruby admit he was jealous, a knock on the door interrupted him, much to Ruby's pleasure. There was no doubt he liked to talk with his master, but their topic was kind of making him uncomfortable.

Wallace approached the door and opened it. To Ruby's astonishment, it was Sapphire and her master.

Wallace let them inside and closed the door. "Winona, Sapphire... you're early. Where's the furniture?"

"It turns out the building process got delayed. It might be a couple of days before they finish it." Winona said as she observed the place. There were different sizes of boxes placed neatly on the sides of the house, making it easier to walk around and know where which box is which. She had to thank Wallace and Ruby for organizing it. As much as she wanted to unpack and organize her stuff now, it looked like it has to wait once the furniture arrived. "Anyway, thanks for all of your help, but I think it's time to go back to the gym and work."

"Yes, you're right. I have to meet up with Zach as well. You want a ride home in my aircar, Ruby?" Wallace asked his student, already knowing his answer.

"N-No!" Ruby blurted with his hands in a defensive position. With his master meeting up with Zach, there was no way he could ride in that air car.

"Alright, then I'll be going." Wallace bid farewell and left Winona's house.

"I'll be goin' home too. Just tell me if ya need help, master." Sapphire said a minute after Wallace's departure. She stopped after taking her first step outside and turned her attention to Ruby. "Ruby, are ya comin' or what?"

Ruby snapped out of his thoughts and nodded. "Yeah."

* * *

 

"Ya seem tense."

"What?" Ruby asked, confused at what she meant.

Sapphire turned around to face him. It had been exactly ten minutes since they left Fortree and she decided to let Troppy give them a flight to Littleroot. Moreover, it was also another way to cool Ruby's anxiety. Well, at least that was what she felt when he hysterically declined Wallace's request. "I said ya seem tense. What happened when we were gone?"

"N-Nothing," Ruby said, not looking in her eyes. Despite that he badly wanted to tell her, it didn't seem like the right time.

Sapphire sighed exasperatedly. It was obvious that he was lying and she was not going to let it slip. "If this—" Before she could finish her statement, a sudden wind turbulence caused her to wobble and almost fall on to Troppy. Thankfully, Ruby caught her by wrapping his right arm on her waist and used his left hand to hold hers. Their proximity sent heat on her cheeks. She had no idea whether or not Troppy did this on purpose. It looked like she needed to talk to all her Pokémon team when it comes to teasing her with Ruby.

"You okay?" He held her close as if he were hugging her.

"I-I'm fine." She said with a deeper shade of the color red on her face. "It's just the wind. Nothin' to worry about."

"Just the wind?!" He asked with a raised voice. She looked up and felt disappointed. He looked more anxious than he was. "Sapph, you almost fell thanks to that damn wind!"

"Why are ya so worried 'bout that?!"

"Well I can't bear to see you fall!" He knew she was a strong and independent person. However, he couldn't help but worry about her safety when danger was involved in the situation.

"Stop worryin' 'bout me!"

"I will stop worrying until you're safe with me!"

Sapph was speechless after hearing that. She appreciated his concern, but him treating her like a fragile plush toy was always new and a bit awkward. "I'm sorry," She mumbled and buried her head on his chest. In spite of his rapid heartbeat, she knew he had calm down.

Ruby finally managed to smile and if possible, held her closer. "It's okay... just... just remember that... you know..." He mentally groaned and cursed himself at his lack of sweet words. He knew what he should say, but by some unknown reasons, those certain words could not properly come out. He was starting to wonder how he managed to confess to her again after they destroyed that meteorite.

"Yeah, I know." She responded, feeling the temperature kept rising on her cheeks. "It's a miracle ya haven't forgotten."

"Eh?"

She lightly punched his chest as a response. Because of her inhuman strength, however, he wobbled a bit but later regained his balance.

"I'm kidding, I'm kidding. Sapph, I swear I'll never forget it. I did assure you."

"I thought it was a promise?" She met his gem-like red eyes with wonder. What did he mean by assurance? He said he promised back then, right?

"Well, I... I said it was a promise, but sometimes, promises are broken and I don't want that. What I meant to say is..." He looked at her in the eyes and smiled. "Well, I assure you it'll happen one time."

She gave him a warm smile and nodded at his decision. It did make sense. "Now, if you'll excuse me." She said with a small voice, then squirmed herself out. Despite that she enjoyed their proximity, she was still uncomfortable at it, especially when they were in public.

* * *

 

The next day, Ruby woke up with a smile on his face. He didn't know why, but he felt it was mostly related to the circumstances yesterday. What happened yesterday didn't seem that bad in his perspective. In fact, it was the most eccentric-free day he had for a while despite they  _did_  talk about Zach. Well, he admitted it was all about that affectionate time he had with Sapphire. It was quite a shock they had that.

It was true they have confessed their feelings again after destroying that meteorite. It wasn't easy doing it for the second time, but thank goodness they managed to and it was absolutely worth it. They  _couldn't_  conceal their respective feelings for a long time. Unfortunately, much to their dismay, they were not yet a couple.

The truth was they both think they were too young to start a relationship in spite of their deep feelings for each other. However, Ruby  _did_ make a promise, well, more like he reassured, that he would ask her to be his girlfriend when they were both ready. Moreover, he gave her his word that he would _never_  forget, pretend and lie that this confession never happened. He lost her once and he would never allow himself to lose her again.

He received a strong punch on the chest afterwards (he thought he deserved it) with Sapphire demanding a serious explanation of why he 'pretended' to forget their confessions at Mirage Island. She knew him too well, for he didn't even mention about their first confessions. He guessed she just knew about his lies. Nonetheless, he gathered all his courage and told her everything. She may still be a bit mad about his lies, but she completely understood his reasons.

The day after their confessions felt like nothing happened, for they were both too timid and uncomfortable about the topic; lt alone ask if they remember it!. Nonetheless, their so-called romantic moment yesterday might be a sign of their growing relationship. Who knows? They might go over the boundaries of friendship. The thought made him shook his head vigorously. It was definitely not the time to think like that. It was still too early.

A frantic knock interrupted him from his thoughts. He turned his attention on it and smiled. If there was someone who liked knocking and getting into someone's house by using their windows, then that would be Sapphire. He gently opened the window in his room to let her in. Not a moment later, he was tackled down on the floor by his precious wild girl.

"Ow, Sapph, what gives?" He asked while trying to stand up from their mortifying situation.

"Can you do me a favor?" She quickly stood up after their fall and closed the window. Then, she sat on the floor while waiting for him to be finished from fixing his clothes.

"Sapph, it's ten in the morning and you're in my room." He said and sat beside her. "What's going on? You literally went into my room by my window. You know you're welcome to use the door."

"Just shut up! I need yer help!" She exclaimed with her arms wrapped around her knees.

Seeing her frightened gesture, he let out a sigh to ease his anxiety for her and nodded. "Okay, what is it?"

"I need ya to do me a favor." She paused and looked at him. He gestured her to continue with a nod. She bit her lip. Here goes nothing. "Zach came to Papa's lab today askin' for another photo of him. He said he accidentally deleted the photo in his camera."

Ruby's face darkened and his emotions just started fuming. What was with that guy?!

"Before he leaves Littleroot, he saw me outside of our house and asked..." She let out a distasteful groan and continued. "...me to g-go on a date again."

Ruby clenched his fists. Forget his fuming emotions, he just wanted to punch him now.

"I declined him. I wasn't interested in the first place."

He mentally sighed in relief. He knew she would decline him again, but saying it herself helped reduce his fuming emotions.

"That's why I wanna ask ya a favor. Ya have to help me tell Zach that I will never be interested goin' on a damn date with him."

Ruby was taken aback at her favor. She wanted him to help her tell Zach? Well, at least that was what he heard. "Wait, what?"

"Ya heard it!" She went closer and gripped on his shirt collar. "Ya got to help me so we can tell him to leave me alone! I ain't interested in goin' on a date with him!"

"Calm down, Sapph." He cooed and placed his hands on hers.

"I can't calm down! He's startin' to bug me!" She retorted and released her grip. She looked through the window and let out a sigh. Zach had officially left Littleroot, thank goodness.

"Hold on, he's here?!" His tone was angry. She was hiding from Zach?! That explained why she was on a rush on getting into his room. Seriously, when would that guy learn?! He stood up and looked through his window to spot that peculiar man. Thankfully, Zach was nowhere to be found within his field of vision.

"He's gone, and I hope he is for good."

Ruby sighed exasperatedly. The possibility she would agree to go out with Zach was nil. However, if Zach would keep on asking, she might agree just so he could stop. He hoped it wouldn't happen. "Alright. I'll do it."

She let out a sigh of relief and gave him a sincere smile with her fangs sticking out. "Thanks."

Ruby smiled back and nodded. He was absolutely desperate to knock some sense into him. Zach may be a nice guy, and... very odd, but from what he observed so far, he was quite stubborn when it came to his requests. It was already proven thrice and one of them included his sudden interest in asking Sapphire on a date. He just hoped Zach wouldn't interrupt him or change the topic. "But... I insist I should talk to him alone."

Seeing his full-fledged determination, Sapphire had no other option but to agree. He may have a bad habit of keeping things under control when the clock was ticking, but the least she could do was to trust and to believe in him. "Fine, but when ya take too long, I'm comin' to help."

He looked in her bright, blue eyes for a while. She seemed determined as well. It looked like he had no other option. "Alright then."


	4. Confrontation, Part I

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So again, this is my first Spe fic so it's not that good ^^;

* * *

"Well, that's quite an initiative, eh? I usually invite you over whenever I see you. It looks like the tables have turned or however that saying goes." Zach said and smiled at the charmer.

* * *

 

_Ruby managed to get Zach's phone number thanks to his master. Wallace asked why, but the Charmer just responded that he needed it. Before Wallace could ask again, Ruby ended their call and proceeded to dial the number._

_After several seconds of waiting, Zach answered the call._ _"Hello there," A cheerful-hesitant voice spoke on the other line. "Who is this I'm speaking with?"_

_Ruby swallowed his anxiety. Here goes nothing. "Zach, it's Ruby. Are you busy? I just need to talk to you."_

_"Well, you're lucky! Oh, wait, luck runs out. I should say blessed. Oh, crud! My restaurant's name! It's supposed to be a good luck charm, but crap! It should be blessed or something. Oh, sorry for my rant, mate. The truth is I'm not busy. If you wanna talk to me, I'm at Sawsbucks in Lilycove. See you there! Wait, Wallace gave you my phone number, right?"_

_Ruby didn't respond at his question. Instead, he ended the call. Where else could he get his phone number? It was obvious the answer is positive._

_"What did he say?"_

_He met her beautiful gem-like eyes and nodded. "I have to go Lilycove and meet him there."_

_"Just don't forget that I'm comin' when ya take too long." Her tone was calm and sympathetic despite she badly wanted to go with him._

_"I won't. Don't worry." He reassured and sent out Rara to teleport him in Lilycove City._

_He arrived there shortly. After fixing his clothes due to the consequences of teleportation, he wasted no time and went into Sawsbucks Coffee. As usual, the smell of coffee, cream, milk, sugar, and cinnamon greeted him. He scanned the area and immediately saw Zach eating alone on the corner of the café where its glass walls were located. He was sitting on a sofa-like chair and the table had lots of plates on it. Assembling all the courage he had, Ruby approached the peculiar man and sat across him._

* * *

 

"I-It's important," Ruby responded with a serious tone.

"It must be serious since you said it seriously." Zach let out a silly chuckle at his pun. "Anyway, what is it? I'll do my best not to interrupt. You know me, I'm quite a talker."

Ruby just nodded. He turned his gaze on the different flavors of cakes slices placed on the table. Despite how desperate he was to tell it, he's mysteriously a bit anxious. He didn't know why, but it was probably the fact it's his first time to not let Zach do all the talking. He was usually the one who partially or fully listened to Zach, but the odds have now changed. He was the one talking and Zach was the one who's going to listen. "I... I..." He let out a heavy sigh. It was his chance to say it! Now is not the time to be anxious. He has to tell him now. "W-What's with you... about... about asking her on a date?"

Zach gave him a confused look. He had asked a lot of girls on a date. He didn't know whom Ruby was referring to at first, but he later got whom he meant. "You mean Sapphire? Well, I like her. That's my reason."

"You already told me that." He bluntly said and did a face-palm.

"I did?" Zach tilted his head. One of the disadvantages of being a talker was he often forgets whether or not he already told someone about it. After thinking about it for quite some time, he finally remembered. "Oh yes, I did. I forgot. Oh man, I am so sorry." He let out a silly chuckle and gave Ruby a slice of the chocolate mousse cake. "By the way, try this. I swear it's delicious. It'll help ease that freaking awkward tension about my so-called memory loss."

"Thanks, but no. Seriously, I don't have time for this." Ruby muttered the last words and gave him a serious look.

Zach flinched at the cunning resemblance he had from Petalburg City's gym leader. He only met the Normal-type user once, but his amazing skills and cool atmosphere were already enough for him to remember. In their short talk, he had never mentioned who his son was. In his suspicion, Ruby kind of looked like Norman. Or was it just him? If only he would take that hat off, then he could be a hundred percent certain on his suspicion. "You know, it's kinda funny, 'cause—"

"Zach..." Ruby reprimanded and glared at the man.

"Oh right, sorry." His neck started itching while a guilty smile formed on his lips. "I promised I wouldn't interrupt." He used a fork to take a miniature slice of the chocolate mousse cake and shoved it awkwardly, yet politely it into his mouth. "Go ahead."

Ruby let out a soft grumble. Now that his anxiety was gone, he could properly tell it to him. "Look... Sapph had enough of you asking her out. Sh—"

Zach immediately swallowed the cake and exclaimed something with a hysterical voice, "But I only asked her twice!" He just couldn't believe this. There was nothing wrong on asking a girl on a date. At least that was based on his experiences.

"As I was saying," Ruby continued after Zach's complaint. "She's not interested in the first place, and you, just simply asking her that question, is already enough to frustrate her."

Zach placed his arms on the back of his head. "Geez. I didn't know that, honestly. But, I already gave my word. I mean come on! I swear she'll have a good time. Most of the girls I asked on a date had a great time. They said they have never had a great time in their lives until our date happened... Well, for the record I don't have a girlfriend yet... Anyway, why won't you tell her that?" He removed his hands on the back of his head and pleaded like a child who badly wanted to go to an amusement park.

Ruby just shrugged at his plea. "Zach, she said she's not interested. There's nothing I can do."

"Then where is she?" Zach's tone was cunning. He didn't seem satisfied at his answer. "I can accept rejection, but that's not stopping me."

Ruby mentally groaned in frustration. He was more stubborn than he thought he would. "Look, she said she'll come here if it takes too long. But—"

"Good. That just settles things then."

Ruby used his left fingers to rub his aching forehead. How many times does he have to say it?! Does his hair cover most of his head?! "Look, Zach, I'm not gonna leave until you realize she's not interested. Heck, she was never interested in the damn first place."

"Oh bonkers." Zach let out a soft snicker.

"It's the truth." Ruby's tone was dark. His gaze at the man was resentful.

Zach responded with a sly smile. He knew Ruby liked Sapphire. He first took notice it when he treated them at his restaurant. Every time he observed them, Ruby often had that certain look in his eyes that Zach couldn't quite put a finger on it. His suspicions were uncertain at first but made his conclusion when Ruby gave her that genuine, warm smile. Furthermore, Ruby often treats her differently from the rest which gave him more satisfaction in his conclusion. Honestly, it wasn't his intention to have a crush on Sapphire. In fact, it was unexpected. He developed that certain feeling the day after he saw her. She was quite adorable after all. Who was he to not resist an adorable person? Besides, he didn't know Ruby liked her as well until that day on his restaurant. "Oh man. You. Are. Completely. Jealous."

His statement almost made Ruby flinch from his position. He thankfully regained his balance and stared at him quizzically. "W-What?!"

"I said you're jealous. I mean come on, it's obvious." Zach bluntly said while giving him a teasing grin. He planned on teasing Ruby until he would admit his jealousy, and he was starting to have fun with it.

"I-I'm not." Ruby harshly denied and gave him a glare. What was with him?! He was definitely  _not_  jealous! There was no reason why he should be! If this continued, his fuming emotions might take control of him.

"Right," Zach responded with a chuckle. "*When Grumpigs fly... unless they used psychic on themselves... Never mind the grumping part. What I meant to say, you're making a fool out of yourself. I mean come on, you like her and I like her too. I asked her out on a date more than once, but she declined more than once as well, and you're just abso-freaking-lutely jealous. You're jealous 'cause I like her as well."

"I'm not jealous." He quietly spoke through clenched teeth.

"Yeah right. Explain why are you so tense when I first ask her out? Don't tell me you're  _not_  jealous."

It caught Ruby's attention which made his eyes widen in shock. How did he notice that?! He swore he had hidden it perfectly. "I-I'm not tense back then and I'm not jealous! I'm just annoyed at the fact that you like her." He muttered the last part, making sure Zach won't hear it. Unfortunately, he did.

"Then you are jealous, bro. Admit it."

"I'm not."

Zach was stunned at the lad's stubbornness. It looked like he needed to elevate his mocks. "Well then, if you aren't jealous, then  _you_  don't like her. And that means it's 'okay' to ask her out again."

Ruby's fuming emotions unexpectedly got out of hand, which caused him to slam his right fist on the table. The sudden thud on the furniture caused some of Sawsbucks' customers and employees to stare at the lad. After several seconds of staring, they continued their personal businesses. Ruby didn't mind the stares, for he was too focused on the guy in front of him. "Don't ask her out again." He said with a threatening tone with his fists clenched.

Zach just shrugged at the threat. He knew he had gone a bit far with his mocks, but he felt no guilt. "If Sawsbucks had a jelly-flavored cake, I would certainly give it to you 'cause you're freaking jelly. Of course, it means you're jealous. And I don't think jelly goes well with cakes."

Ruby mentally groaned at his response. This talk was starting to feel like a kid's argument. "For the fourth time," He let out a sigh to ease his anger. When would it stick in that thick head of his?! "I'm not jealous."

Zach didn't respond at his denial. Instead, he finished the chocolate mousse cake he's been eating since their conversation. After eating the dessert, he took the glass of water on his left side and continued with a mischievous tone, "You're jealous, and admit it."

Ruby managed to let out a groan. He turned his head on his right and focused his attention outside through the glass walls. In spite of his denials, Zach would just contradict it and it was starting to bug him. He had a feeling Zach was doing this on purpose. He hated to admit it, but whatever Zach said did make sense. Did he like Sapphire? On a scale of one to ten, it would be a positive infinity. Hence, he absolutely loved her more than a friend. Was he jealous? Well, he was just stubborn to admit that he is. He mentally slapped his forehead at the thought. He's jealous?  _No, that can't be right_. He was just annoyed and that was it!

Seeing the lad's reaction, Zach's lips curved into a teasing smirk. He knew Ruby was a patient guy. It was not a surprise that he hadn't got totally mad from his teasing. Ruby definitely deserved some kudos. Most of the people he teased often get mad despite that it wasn't hard-core. Well, the main reason was most of them were hot-headed. Thank goodness Ruby wasn't one. They may like the same girl, but he still treated him like a friend and not a threat. Nonetheless, he wasn't gonna stop from teasing the boy. He was having fun doing it and the look on Ruby's face was priceless.  _I should have brought my camera. Oh man this is hilarious. I'm sorry Ruby, but this is fun. Friends also tease each other, eh?_ His smirk grew wider and continued to tease the lad. What he didn't know, however, was his teasing had hit that certain point where Ruby just simply couldn't take it anymore. "Why are you so against it? It's just for a day, heck, a night. Just admit that you are jealous and this story will now end."

Ruby gently slammed his right palm on the table just enough to get Zach's attention. "I told you I am not jealous, and for your information, I don't just  _like_  her."

"I'm sorry, what now?" He said in his best deadpan tone. "I feel like I need to clean my ears or something."

Ruby couldn't control his emotions any longer and blurted, "I said I love her for crying out loud!" He gasped for air after unintentionally saying it. A few seconds later, his eyes widened in terror as he observed Zach's reaction. Hold on a second, did he just say that?! He observes Zach's reaction again. Judging his shocked look and gaping mouth, he certainly did and he couldn't believe he just said that. No one knew about his deep feelings for the girl except... well, Sapphire.  _I lost it. I can't believe it._ Another few seconds of observing the man, he averted his eyes at him and looked at the now empty plates while panting for breath. He regretted he had lost his cool.

Zach finally closed his mouth and slapped his head to return himself in reality. He did not know and expect that. "Oh, shi-shizzle. Holy freaking crap... Oh shoot! Holy shizzle!"

Ruby refused to look at the man in front of him as he continued to pant for air. He couldn't just blurt his feelings for her just because someone wouldn't stop teasing him! This had to be a dream. His alarm would ring at any moment and he would finally wake up from this... odd yet terrifying nightmare.

"Seriously, I know you like her, but wow. I did not see this coming." He continued after a minute of silence, not knowing Ruby was partially listening. "I didn't expect this! You're a grown man, Ruby. I'm proud of you. But... you know... man this is hard, but you know that doesn't change the fact that I like her. I mean, I respect that you love her, I really do, but we don't know whom she likes. It may be neither of us or you or me or that guy on the counter." He took a glance on his left side to see any reactions from that guy on the counter. Fortunately, the guy on the counter didn't hear him. If he did, it might ruin his so-called joke. "Okay, that guy on the counter doesn't make sense, but you get my point."

Ruby couldn't believe this nightmare was real and happening. He had to leave this place at once.

"Who knew this vacation turned out to be... quite a shock?"

Ruby finally made an eye contact with the man. Based on whatever Zach was talking about, it seems he wasn't giving up on asking her out. He wanted to say it again that Sapphire was uninterested, but he had to take care of this later. He had to regain control with his emotions first. "I'm sorry, but I have to go."

"Already? There's a lot we need to talk about like—"

"Just don't ask her out again." Ruby intervened with a small voice and stood up from his seat. He bid farewell to Zach and went outside of Sawsbucks as fast as he could. Once he was out, he released a long, heavy sigh of relief with one hand on his right temple. Today was absolutely an emotionally exhausting day.

"I guess that didn't go well."

The voice sent shivers on Ruby's spine. He turned on his left side and saw Sapphire with her arms folded together across her chest. Judging her expression, she didn't seem elated or mad. In fact, she looked kind of worried. Did she hear their conversation? If she did, what would he say? What would he do? He didn't want to tell a lie. Moreover, he reassured he would never lie to her again! Oh well... The truth could set you free, right?

After what seemed like an eternal stare, though in reality, it was only fifteen seconds, he finally managed to talk. "Sapphire," He didn't know why he sounds relieved and terrified at once, but it was nice to see her. In fact, she was the only person he wanted to see after the early circumstance.

"Yeah?" Her tone was calm in spite of her anxiety.

"H-How... W-What did...? Y-You heard?" He looked into her gem-like eyes. Somehow, he couldn't read her expressions.

"Everything," She could sense his anxiety just by looking at him. They have to talk about this. She unfolded her arms and mustered all her courage to extend her left hand at him. She may be uncomfortable at holding his hand since it was treated as a romantic gesture when opposite genders of almost the exact age did that, but for now, she mustn't mind about it. She had to help him let go of anxiety first.

Ruby didn't hesitate for a second. He held her hand tightly and linked their fingers together. It made him feel better. However, his mind came up with another idea to completely lessen his anxiety. He brought her closer until they were a few centimeters apart. He intended to give her a quick hug, but instead, he planted a kiss on her forehead. The contact brought heat on their cheeks and a rapid heartbeat. He swore what he did was an unexpected, unintentional act.  _Oh darn._

_Wait, what just happened?!_ Sapphire backed off a little the second he kissed her. She was expecting a hug, but the kiss surprised her. Sure it was not her first time receiving a kiss from the charmer. In fact, he had kissed her twice: on her cheek and on her lips. His third kiss may only be on the forehead, but it was still a big deal.  _I must me dreamin'._

There was no doubt they liked the kiss, but the mere thought of it made them uncomfortable. They cursed their shyness sometimes. They both knew they loved each other and it was normal for them to show a little affection. But how come it was easier said than done?!

"L-Let's go t-talk about this somewhere else." Sapphire finally managed to say after a moment of silence listening to their rapid heartbeats and happy yet embarrassed thoughts.

Ruby took a glance at his surroundings. He saw some people either giving them a smirk, a glare or a nonchalant stare. He felt embarrassed from what he did. She wasn't his girlfriend yet, but they already showed a little *public display affection! The mere thought of it made the temperature on his cheeks rise. What an emotional day it had been. "R-Right."

Sapphire didn't hesitate and dragged him away from this café and possibly, this city. But before they took their first step, some of the café's customers commented about their early doings.

"Aww, look at the happy couple go!"

"The next time you're kissing her bro, don't do it outside!"

"They look so cute together!"

"Ugh, flirting couples. I thought the *city of love is in Kalos?!"

"Now I wish I had a girlfriend!"

"Man they should get a room."

"Hey! When is your wedding?! Don't forget to invite me!"

The last two comments had only helped to increase the blush rising on their cheeks from red to crimson.

Sapphire swore to not go in this city or this café for a while. Returning in this place would certainly bring a natural drift of awkwardness, for these people were already making her feel uncomfortable. It was a good thing Ruby was not her boyfriend yet. If she were his girlfriend, it would be twice as embarrassing as it was now.

Ruby bid farewell at the crowd and quickly averted his gaze from them. There was no doubt he liked the attention. However, he kind of hated it when he had their attention by means of public display affection. In fact, getting the crowd's attentions were only applicable whenever he and his Pokémon perform in a contest. He made a mental note to not kiss her in public for a while. He blamed himself to all of this. He had placed not only himself but her as well in a very humiliating position. He just hoped she would reconsider this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Pokemon World's version of "When pigs fly"? Anyone? Yeah...
> 
> *Most people don't tolerate PDA's and I'm one of them. I'm so sorry for that. ^^'
> 
> *Since, you know, Kalos is based (loosely based, I think) in Paris, France. So, yeah, smooch city. XD
> 
> I know Ruby sounded a bit out of character when he said he loved Sapphire and I'm sorry for that.
> 
> PS: Blame Zach
> 
> So...about 'Incomplete'...stuff has been happening around me, bad stuff. I literally did some self-harm again, my father threatening to hurt me and my irl friend siding with my parents so yeah (which hurts 'cause I thought he could cheer me up but now I literally have trust issues with everyone). Bad stuff but I guess I have to continue moving forward. I promise I'll update 'Incomplete' but I just need to fix it since I'm very insecure with it so yeah. Enough of my rambling. I hope you guys have way better days than me. Stay strong. ;w;


	5. Confrontations, Part II

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reeee I wanna finish this and since I got time so here it is. I guess.....my first spe fanfic......

* * *

Sapphire dragged Ruby away from Lilycove City on to Route 121 as fast as she could. For once, she did not hear Ruby complained about the possible dirt that could lurk in his clothes as she ran in a certain distance from the city. He must be  _that_ busy to ignore it regarding with the early circumstances. She stopped once they reached the location of the soft, loamy soil where it was filled with different berries planted on it.

After a few seconds of gasping, she took a glance at their clasped hands. She thought about shoving it away from his grasp like what she did when they reached the Cave of Origin years ago. However, before she could do the act, Ruby squeezed her hand gently. It seemed he didn't want to let go of her hand. Even if she did try to shove it off again or tell him to let it go, he would just hold her hand tighter.  _Guess I don't have any choice._

She thought about calling Troppy to fly them home, but a thought came into her; some citizens might spot the flying Pokémon with them on its back. If those certain citizens did spot them, they might shout another embarrassing statement(s) about their ride home especially if they saw Ruby wrapped his arms around her waist. In another note, their secret base was miles away from Lilycove. It looked like teleporting is their only option. Letting out a heavy sigh of frustration, she sent out her Gallade. Once the Gallade was out, he did a little warm-up exercise and looked at his trainer. Sapphire smiled at the Pokémon and told him to teleport them to their secret base.

Kirly understood what his trainer told. But before the Blade Pokémon could use its move, she added he should do it more carefully, unlike the last time he used teleport on them. The Gallade nodded at his trainer's request and used his move on them. In a matter of minutes, they arrived at their secret base.

"Thanks, Kirly." Sapphire patted the Pokémon's shoulder while he simply gave a smile to his trainer. She returned it to its Poké Ball and anxiously took a glance at the boy beside her. Now that they were here, how should they start their conversation? Based on the circumstances earlier, she was too timid to even look at him in the eye.

"I... I'll go change my clothes first." Ruby finally said with an anxious tone after what it seemed like an eternal silence. He let go of his hold and went farther from her to change his clothing.

Sapphire let out a grumble and rolled her eyes at him. Never mind about what she said earlier with regards to ignoring the dirt on his clothes. Although, in spite of her sarcasm, she knew he only said that to break the silence. Letting out a heavy sigh, she plopped on the Wailmer bean bag and turned her gaze somewhere else to give him some privacy. Knowing Ruby, it would take a while for him to change. She suddenly had an interest in the cave's walls once she heard some unzipping noises. It brought a slight pink hue on her cheeks. The idea of him changing his clothes several feet away from her was totally uncomfortable.  _He better be done quickly._

"Sapph?" Ruby cleared his throat to get her attention.

Her interest in the wall vanished once he called her. She looked up and saw him now dressed in clean clothes. "Yeah?" She asked in a tedious tone.

"May I?" He politely asked and gestured the empty space next to her. Before she could respond, he already sat down next to her. "Well, this is comfortable."

"Ya know there's another bean bag in this base!" She retreated from their proximity, but his left arm encircled around her waist prevented her. She shot him a pouted look while his lips curved into a smile. He pulled her closer so that she was now sitting on his lap. Despite her protests and squirms, he was too stubborn to let go. She let out a groan seeing she had no other option and tried to make herself comfortable from their position.

"I guess we just let bygones be bygones, huh?" He finally managed to say after their total silence while he received a quick punch on the chest. He winced in pain. "Ow, Sapph..."

She responded with a soft, sincere yet sarcastic 'sorry'. She knew what he was talking about; it was a good thing he had the guts too.

"Listen," He pulled her closer until their faces were a few inches away and finally looked into her eyes. "About... About what happened earlier... where... I..."

"I-It's okay." She managed to say in spite of her rapid heartbeat. "I know ya didn't intend it."

"It's not that as well." His right hand cupped her left cheek. She flinched on the contact, but he managed to pull her closer. "I mean, I've put us in an embarrassing position back then, so I'm sorry for that."

The temperature on her cheeks rose the longer his soft, warm hand cups her cheek. What happened earlier was definitely humiliating. However, she didn't regret it and she didn't know why. "I-I told ya. It's okay."

He intentionally kissed her forehead, which did nothing but to increase the pink blush on her cheeks to the shade of red. Her reaction brought a smile on his face. She looked absolutely adorable. He felt more than a hundred percent blessed to have someone like her. The last part made him mentally shook his head. She was not yet his girlfriend, yet he was already thinking about that! Well, it did make sense that he had her in his life, but it would be nice to be her boyfriend; it would be nice to exceed the boundaries of their friendship. They did say they loved each other based on what he recalled.  _Wait, what am I thinking?!_

"Anyway, is it true?"

He snapped out of his thoughts and looked into her eyes. He was clueless at first, but he later got what she meant. He opened his mouth but immediately closed it when no words came out. It was best to tell her. He wanted to tell her. But how come he was very nervous to even say a word? He blamed Zach and his constant teasing.

Sapphire affectionately held his hand that caresses her face to ease his anxiety. After a few seconds, he managed to calm down. She gave him a toothy grin. It looked like being there for him totally lessened his anxiety. She felt happy just by helping him. "Ya feel alright now?" Her question sounded more like a statement; she knew him too well.

He responded with an affectionate smile and by kissing the tip of her nose. It made her flinch from him again. Regardless, he pulled her closer.

She was expecting he would kiss her on the forehead again, which she finally got used to, but on her nose was unexpected. She couldn't imagine kissing him often once they were together as a couple. The thought only made her blush deepen its red-like color. Now was not the time to think about it.

"I thought you heard everything." His tone was conceited. He wasn't expecting that kiss would let her guard down.

She gave him a light punch on the chest, though, in reality, it was one percent below her normal punches. There he goes and his arrogance again. "I was just reassurin', and yes I did hear everythin'."

He winced in pain from her punch. He may be used to it, but he couldn't help himself from wincing. "I-I guess there's no need to talk about it?"

She pouted at his response. His smile returned because of her cute gesture. It was like it's normal for her to  _be_ adorable. "If yer not anxious about it, then we ain't talkin' 'bout it. But ya are, so we have to talk about it."

He didn't know what exactly was this positive emotion he was currently experiencing, but he liked it. Her concern gave him that unknown, warm feeling forming in him. "You're right. We should... talk about it."

She nodded sharply and unintentionally took a peck on his lips. The action surprised them both, but his hold on her didn't budge. They never kissed each other that way. The last time they did it was after their second confession, but it's only a bit longer than before. What was with their kisses lately? Could it be their time to finally be together more than friends? The thought made their faces turn crimson. This must be the effect of the Luvdiscs they saw together last month. They mentally cursed that *belief when a couple unintentionally saw a Luvdisc together.

Ruby blinked a few times before registering what really happened. Sapphire had kissed him, and it felt great. It would be better once they got together, but now he's just savoring the early circumstance. "Sapph, I—"

"H-Heard ya were jealous. Is it true?" She immediately asked with an anxious tone. It was obvious she just wanted to change the topic to help ease the tenseness.

His mouth fell a bit from her question. She heard everything alright, but how come he didn't notice she  _was_  there? It was best to ask her. "Hold on, Sapph, before I answer, how come I didn't notice you were in there?"

Sapphire admitted she did follow Ruby several minutes after he and Rara teleported to Lilycove. What was her reason? She just wanted to know whether or not things would be alright between the guys, especially if Ruby's jealousy gets out of hand. "I was on the farthest table from ya. I left when I've heard enough." She responded with a blunt tone and gestured him to continue.

Ruby nodded at her answer. He completely understood it. But when exactly did she leave? Was it before he told Zach he loves her?  _Maybe, maybe not._ He wasn't focused on anything back then besides his rampaging emotions and his annoyance/jealousy towards Zach. It was best to let this conversation go smoothly. He might get his answer afterwards. Going back, now that she had answered his question, it was now his turn. Was he really  _that_  jealous? He already told Zach and his master that he isn't. Therefore, the answer was negative. "I'm not."

She gave him a faltered look. She didn't believe his answer. She knew he was, but he was just too stubborn to admit it. She was oblivious about it at first, but she later noticed it when she asked him that favor. "Yer kiddin'."

"I-I'm not. I swear I'm not." He immediately refused with his tone sounding like an innocent child.

She responded by giving him a glare with her fangs sticking out. "You're jealous. Just admit it."

Ruby let out a sigh of defeat. Was he really that jealous? It was true he was annoyed from the beginning, and he still thought he was until now. But was he really jealous? It was a different topic. He already told Sapphire, his Master, and Zach that he wasn't. However, why did he  _still_  have that negative emotion in him whenever he remembered Zach asking her out on a date or even by the fact that he liked her? Was he annoyed? Was it he angry? Was he scared? In his perspective, the answer was negative. No, they were not that specific emotion. It looked like he couldn't deny it any further.

Sapphire was right. Wallace and Zach were right; he  _was_  jealous. He was jealous because Zach liked her. He was jealous because Zach made an effort to ask her out on a date twice. Most importantly, he was jealous because Zach had the guts to ask her out. It should be he who was doing that. "I... I am." His tone was sad and sincere. He couldn't believe he let go of his stubbornness just to admit it. But honestly, it made him feel a bit better.

Sapphire stared at him with sympathy. He finally managed to say it. She was both glad and worried that he did. She was glad because he could finally feel better from that negative emotion. She was worried because why did he have to be jealous? He knew that she loves him. She didn't even care about Zach. She felt nothing for that peculiar guy. "Why?"

He expected she would say something like 'I told you so' or 'Finally', but her question made him wonder. "I don't know... I guess I just hate it that he likes you. I... I should be the one saying that out loud, if... if I had the chance."

She averted her eyes at him. The mere thought of what would be her response was already enough to bring a light pink color on her cheeks. Well, she wanted to make him feel better; she had to say it to fully reduce his jealousy. It wouldn't hurt to tell, right? "Y-Ya know..." She bit her lip. Now was not the time to stutter. "T-There's only... only one guy I... like."

"I-I know," His tone is also anxious. It is he whom she was talking about.

"Ya don't have to be jealous 'cause I don't like him. I... ya know... I like ya... I like ya a lot."

Hearing her said those words again brought Beautiflies, Butterfrees, Dustoxs and even Ninjasks and Shedinjas in his stomach. What she said truly brought happiness in him. It made him feel better. In fact, it felt like he was in heaven now. "I love you too." He genuinely whispered in her ear. His breath was warm and tickled her left ear. He then wrapped his arms around her for a hug. It surprised her at first, but she returned the hug with the same enthusiasm and rested her head on his chest, feeling his rapid heartbeat.

Both were stunned at their sudden confession; it was unexpected. Who knew his jealousy made them confess to one another for the third time? It did have its pros and cons.

Sapphire let go of their hug to prevent the heat on her cheeks from rising. She gave him a warm smile and said, "Just don't be jealous, okay? Ya already know why ya shouldn't be."

Ruby smiled back and nodded. "The truth is it's hard but okay. I-I'll do what I can." In spite of his word, he wasn't a hundred percent certain he would not get jealous. It might depend on the circumstance. It might depend on whether or not Zach would ask her out on a date again.

"Ya better." She placed her hands on his chest and gently gripped the fabric of his shirt. "'Cause I hate seein' ya in a tense situation. I... can't help but worry." She mumbled the last words and buried her head on his chest. What she said were true; she couldn't help but worry whenever something was troubling him. In this case, it was his jealousy. He may be good at hiding his feelings, but she could perfectly see it in his eyes. The least she could do was help him in any way possible.

"Thank you, Sapphire." He mumbled in his most sincere tone. He didn't know it would affect her as well. All he wanted was her safety. He never wanted to taint her crystal heart again. "Thank you." He protectively placed his arms around her and placed the tip of his nose on her head. Her scent smells like berries and the forest. It may be an extraordinary smell for a woman, but in his perspective, it perfectly suited her.

"Sapph?" A sudden thought on his head made his heart beat faster than the usual. He suddenly had the urge to kiss her. He wanted to kiss her. However, he couldn't just do it because he wanted to. He needed her permission first since he respected her privacy. Besides, he didn't want to ruin this moment.

"Yeah?" She removed her head on his chest to meet his gaze. It seems like she didn't know what he would ask yet.

He brought his right hand again to cup her cheek. She trembled a bit from his touch but didn't flinch from her spot. He placed his forehead on hers so that their faces were a few centimeters apart. "May I?"

She finally got what he meant. It was true she's not yet used on kissing him, and she didn't know when. Regardless, she approved his question by nodding slowly.

Ruby didn't waste any moment once he got her permission. He leaned in closer, feeling her warm breath touch his nose. They closed their eyes for the next move and the gap between them; their lips finally met. Their second kiss felt like the first, but better. It brought a deep blush on their faces and an unknown warm feeling forming in their chests. Ruby pulled her closer to deepen the kiss which made their heartbeats be in total sync. There was no doubt it brought bliss in them. After several seconds, they slowly pulled apart and gasped for air. Ruby didn't and would never regret kissing her.

"It's getting dark." He said after several seconds of gasping.

Sapphire's lips curved into a frown with one fang sticking out. She liked their affectionate time together, honestly. She wished it would stay longer for a little. It was disappointing time was not on their side. "Come on," She stood up from his lap. "We better get home."

"Right." Ruby nodded and stood up as well. He held her left hand and used his free hand to stroke her hair. "Don't worry." He reassured with an arrogant tone and tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear. "We'll continue this tomorrow."

She clenched her right fist and punched his chest. He certainly had a way of teasing her. "Silly."

He winced in pain for the nth time of the day. "Ow! Sapph?"

She responds with a slight blush and a pout on her face.

Noticing it, his wincing expression was replaced with an affectionate smile. Her adorable gesture is more than enough to remove the pain on his chest.  _Beautiful_.

* * *

 

They made it to Littleroot Town before the clock would strike six in the evening with Sapphire leading the way. Well, it was more like she was dragging the Charmer on their way home. Her main reason was none other than Ruby's so-called dirt problems. According to the charmer, he had to be cautious on his steps on the dense forest for it lets dirt, twigs, and dry/dead leaves stay on his clothes. As a result, Sapphire became irritated and impatient at his 'slow paced' walk which lead her to grab his hand and drag him home as fast as she could.

Her deed brought a successful smirk on his lips. His plan worked in spite of his compromise to let some dirt, dead leaves, and twigs on his outfit. He always wanted to hold her hand on their way home. It was a good thing Sapphire didn't notice it.

Sapphire stopped on her tracks and released her hand on him. She spun to face him and folded her arms across her chest. His plans for affectionate gestures were becoming way too obvious for her. The thought resulted in a pouty look on her face. "If y-ya wanna hold my hand, ya could have just asked."

His smirk was replaced with a frown. She just always knew whether or not he was pretending. He kind of liked it honestly. "How?"

"Yer smirk." She responded with a blunt tone and by rolling her eyes. "Anyway, I'll see ya tomorrow."

Ruby grabbed her left hand again before the conqueror took her first step. "Wait, I'll walk you home."

Sapphire let out an exasperated sigh and gave him a sullen look. "Ruby, we're neighbors and my house is literally several meters away from yours! There's no need."

"Come on Sapph," He gently squeezed her hand and smiled. "I insist."

Sapphire let out a sigh in defeat. Just like earlier, he would be just too stubborn to disagree. "Fine."

"Ah, there you are, kids!"

The jolly voice made Sapphire immediately shove her hand away from Ruby and a slight blush appear on her face. There was no way her father was going to see them holding hands. It might lead him to ask a ton of questions that would make them feel uncomfortable. She wondered how her father found out her feelings for Ruby.

"Dad?"

"Professor?"

Professor Birch approached the teens with a smile on his face. "Anyway, I need to talk to you, Ruby."

"M-Me?" Confusion was written all over his face. Why did the professor need to talk to him? Was it another data distribution journey? No, that couldn't be right. If it were about that, he would tell his daughter first. Or maybe it would be about a new and adorable Pokémon? That could be it, but he was still uncertain.

"Him?" Sapphire was shocked and anxious to hear that. If it was about her feelings for the charmer, then that would be a totally humiliating topic. She had the sudden urge to drag her father away from him. Better yet, she hoped a stack of paper works would get his attention from whatever he was going to talk about with the Charmer.

"Yep," The Professor nodded, unaware at the teens' reactions. "Let's talk to my lab. Oh and Sapphire, this is sort of a manly talk so you can skip this one." He ruffled his daughter's hair who rolled her eyes and pouted in return. He did know this gesture was only applicable to kids who were ten years old or younger.

Seeing she had no other option, she let out an exasperated sigh. If it was a so-called man talk, then she respected it. They better tell it to her afterwards. "Fine, but don't take too long or else I'll destroy that lab's door again."

"We will; don't worry." Professor Birch reassured and placed his left hand on Ruby's shoulder. He patted the Charmer's shoulder a few times. The confusion on Ruby's face grew intense. He found it very awkward when the professor patted his shoulder. "Right, let's go my lab." He removed his hand on Ruby's shoulder and started walking to the lab.

Ruby reluctantly followed him with a lot of questions in his head, but all asked the same thing; what would they talk about?

* * *

 

"Do you want a drink, son?" Professor Birch grabbed a can of lemonade juice on the table and popped it open.

"N-No thanks, professor." Ruby denied politely and properly sat on the chair as he scanned the place. He felt anxious and he didn't know why.

"Okay then," The Professor took one sip on the can and placed it on the table. He stared at the Charmer in front him.

Just like always, the lab was a hectic place filled with paper works, data, and files on every shelf, table, boxes and even on top of a laptop or computer along with a few scattered chairs. Most of the virtual data and files were neatly organized in the professor's laptop.

"First things, first," Professor Birch placed his left hand on the back of his head. He smiled sheepishly. "I'm sorry about the mess. I know how you hate disorganized places. It's just a lot of work's going on here."

Ruby instantly shook head his head at the professor's apology. "N-No it's okay, professor. I understand you're busy and all." He let out a sigh to ease his anxiety. Talking to the professor somehow increased it.

The professor responded with a faint chuckle. He held on to the can of lemonade and took another sip. In spite of his busy schedule, he was glad he managed to have an appointment with the charmer. His relationship with his daughter was starting to pop up in his mind lately. He certainly trusted the Charmer since he was his friend's son and his daughter's best friend. Nonetheless, he needed answers on his questions.

He asked Sapphire about it once, but she avoided the question no matter how many times he repeated it. He also asked Emerald about it, but the answers weren't enough for his satisfaction. His only option was Ruby. He desperately needed an honest and complete answer from the Charmer. "So..." He started, causing the Charmer to be tense every second. "What's going on with your relationship with my daughter? Do you... like her?"

The questions almost made the chair he'd been sitting on to topple on the floor. Why on earth would he ask that kind of question?! Wasn't it clear that he and Sapphire were 'still' friends? He felt a pang of regret flood in his heart. Sure, they were still friends, but he wanted them to be more than just friends when the time comes. He opted not to tell that part to the professor. "P-Pardon?"

"I'm sorry. I guess my question was very direct." The Professor smiled sheepishly and gestured the Charmer to calm down. Ruby did his best to remain calm in spite of his rapid heartbeat and his now burning cheeks. "Nonetheless, I need an honest and complete answer, Ruby." He gave him a stern, fatherly look.

It brought shivers on Ruby's spine. Professor Birch was known as the jolly, good-natured and loving father of Sapphire. Seeing him in his strict mode was new to Ruby. Do fathers often get strict whenever their daughters would have a romantic relationship with someone? He mentally shook his head. Just to make things clear, he and Sapphire were not dating  _yet_. He let out a sigh of defeat and nodded. What else could he say? He didn't have any choice but to tell him the truth.

"Good. Our suspicions were right."

Ruby gave the professor a terrified look. "Wait, what? How—"

The Professor responds with a chuckle. "You know my answer is funny, but maybe it's that so-called parent's intuitions or parent's instincts."

"I..." Ruby closed his gaping mouth. The professor's answer doesn't seem completely reasonable. Did Sapphire even know about this?

"Anyway, you only answered one question." Ruby did his best to swallow his anxiety. He thought he had forgotten the other question. "You and Sapphire are still friends, right?"

The professor's fatherly tone surprised him. What was with all these questions?! It felt like the professor was interrogating him whether or not he was worthy for his daughter. A part of Ruby's head felt this as a very embarrassing situation and the other part was desperate to make him worthy for a certain wild girl. "Y-Yes... w-we are professor... I..."

"Hey," The Professor cooed and gestures him to calm down. "Don't worry, Ruby. This isn't an interrogation. I just want to know about your relationship with my daughter. There's no need to be tense about it."

The Professor's reassurance lessened his anxiety for a bit. Now the usual Professor Birch was back; he could finally breathe again.

"I'm just curious about your relationship with my daughter. Are you guys still friends or not? Don't worry. I won't be mad if you guys are already in a relationship."

"W-We're not. I... I mean, we're still friends, professor. I..." He mentally did a face-palm. He regretted using that word. He planned on saying 'just friends' instead of the previous one, but his mouth betrayed him, unfortunately. "W-What I meant to say is—"

"Still friends? In that case, you have my permission."

"Wait, what?" Ruby was taken aback by the professor's interruption. He had what?

Professor Birch stood up from his chair and approached the charmer. He placed his hand on the Charmer's shoulder and gave him a reassuring smile. "You have my permission to ask her out, Ruby."

Ruby was both happy and confused at the situation. He was glad he had the professor's permission to date his daughter. At the same time, he was confused. Why was he giving his permission so early? He thought he might have it before he picks up his girl for their date. Wait, what was he thinking?! They were still friends and he was absolutely certain they were not yet ready. "T-Thank you, professor. B-But isn't it too early? I haven't asked her yet."

"I know," The Professor patted the charmer's shoulder again. "But I've never seen anyone who has serious feelings for her. Because, you know, Sapphire is no ordinary girl."

Hearing the wild girl's name brought a smile on Ruby's face. Somehow, the rest of his anxiety was completely gone. "She is... She's extraordinary, unique from all the people I've met. She... stood up the most." He could go on with his compliments for a long time, but he opted not to since he's speaking to her father.

"Which is why you have to take of her. She may be capable of taking care of herself, but she also needs to know that someone cares for her. I always do my part as her father, I suppose. I think I do."

"Don't hesitate, professor. She loves you. Sapphire couldn't ask for a better father."

Professor Birch could feel some tears of joy forming in his eyes. He often felt like a terrible father. After all, he did manage to let trouble come to them since the day she became a Pokédex Holder. She may be capable of taking care of herself but as her father, he couldn't help but worry when she and the others were trying to risk their lives to save Hoenn and/or the world. "I... I'm glad to hear that. Sapphire doesn't show much affection, but coming from you also feels like it comes from her."

Ruby smiled and nodded at the professor. This so-called manly talk wasn't that bad after all.

"Anyway," Professor Birch started to reduce the tears from falling. "I know you two are  _still_ friends, but you have my permission, Ruby. Just take care of her."

"I assure you professor," Ruby's tone, smile, and gaze were desperate and confident. "I will."

"Thank you. That means a lot... Now," Professor Birch glanced on his wristwatch. Their talk took a short amount of time than he expected. "I think we should head to our houses. It seems dinner has arrived."

"I guess it is, professor."

* * *

 

Ruby was the first one to approach the door, followed by the professor with some paper works in his satchel. Before they began their separate ways to approach their respective houses, Ruby gathered all his courage and told the professor, "I'll... uh... ask her when the time comes, professor. I don't think we're ready yet."

"I understand that." Prof. Birch responded with a smile. He wasn't expecting they were not yet ready to exceed the boundaries of their friendship. He thought they were now a couple since he hardly saw them bicker. If they were bickering, then it was a result of their misunderstandings. "Time will come, I suppose. Just, don't be shy when that time comes."

His gaze suddenly became interested in the floor. The professor's statement did make sense. Maybe they were too shy to go beyond their friendship. They just needed to be brave enough to get through it. But that was easier said than done. This  _is_  reality after all. "I... uh... I will, professor."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Based on the Pokémon Alpha Sapphire game, Luvdisc's Pokédex entry is: "Luvdisc's heart-shaped body is a symbol of love and romance. It is said that any couple meeting this Pokémon is promised a loving relationship that never ends." So, yeah, I kinda do that for a hilarious take on them. I was literally laughing when I wrote that part. *got hit by a gigantic rock thrown by Sapphire*
> 
> *Well, if Ruby can lift Thor's hammer, Mjolnir, then he'll be worthy. I'm kidding. Haha


	6. Confrontations, Part III

* * *

Ruby shot his eyes open. He placed his hands on his face and let out an exasperated sigh. Tonight was his third time waking up.  _Damn it. Why?!_

He removed his hands in his face and turned to his left. He then took a glance at his room's wall clock which said eleven _._  If this would keep on happening until four in the morning, he would probably receive some eye bags. He hoped it wouldn't, for it may worry his parents and a certain wild girl.

Another infuriated sigh escaped from his lips. It was still unknown why he keeps on waking up for every two hours; he was certain nothing's troubling him. He closed his eyes and forced himself to fall asleep. Unfortunately, it only made things worse.  _Damn it. Not again._  He let out a soft grumble and sat up in his bed. Today was definitely tiring, but how come he couldn't just sleep? He needed to clear his mind of things.

Ruby went off his bed and approached the window. He looked through it and a smile appeared on his face. Littleroot was such a small town. At eleven o'clock in the evening, the place was absolutely quiet. There were night Pokémon walking past but hardly made a sound. Indeed, it was another peaceful night. Observing the town at nighttime always made the time pass by. It sometimes helped him fall asleep as well. However, it was not one of those days. He couldn't just fall asleep.

He turned his attention at their neighboring house, who were none other than the Birches. His smile grew wider once he saw a faint light in Sapphire's room. The faint light signaled that she's asleep. He couldn't help but imagine her cute sleeping face. He had seen her sleeping form more than once during their nights together. No matter how many times he tried to remove his gaze from her, he often ended up smiling and gazing at her sleeping form. She had caught him once, though, but the harshest thing she just did was to punch his arm to make him fall asleep. He let out a chuckle at the memory. Time really does flies.

He suddenly thought about what the professor told him several hours ago. He let out a sigh at the memory. He honestly admits that he was too timid to talk about their confessions and the possible romantic relationship topic. Although, he wondered how he managed to have the guts to ask her permission to kiss her.

Was it because of their sudden confession? It must be, but it wasn't enough to conclude that it was.

Was it now the right time? The thought almost made him fall on the floor.

He was still hesitating if it was the right time.  _If I were going to ask her, there's a possibility that she isn't ready yet. I can't be selfish about this any longer. But... it wouldn't hurt to ask, right?_

He shook his head at the thought. Should he ask her out or not? The question was starting to bug him.

So what if he was ready? He couldn't just think for his own being. He had to follow his promise to be selfless when it comes to his decisions. He couldn't just pop that topic out of nowhere. For once, he had to stop thinking about this relationship thing.

What if Sapphire wasn't ready? He didn't want to push that topic to her. It could possibly ruin their friendship. Their friendship was as important as his love for her. He couldn't just risk it without thinking it through. He slammed his head on the wall. Now he knew why he couldn't sleep properly. He knows this topic was a big deal, but it wasn't necessary to think of it for now. He still needed to wait. They both needed to be ready. "Damn it. I don't wanna lose her... Never again..."

* * *

 

That afternoon on the next day, Ruby went into their secret base to have some peace of mind. He couldn't sleep peacefully in his own room since his mother might tell him to run some errands for her. On the other hand, Wallace's place was too far for him to reach and it was kind of rude to go to his master's place just so he could sleep. Therefore, the only possible place he could think of is to sleep in their secret base.

The road to get there might be a bit dirty, but it didn't mind him for now. All he wanted was to reach it and sleep in that place peacefully. He only got five hours of sleep last night thanks to his thoughts. It was still a miracle he managed to have five hours of sleep, though. Once he took a step inside the cave, he didn't expect a certain wild girl to be in there. Her presence suddenly removed all his ideas and mood to sleep in the cave. He couldn't let her know his problems; it might affect her as well. He would just simply have to tell her that he was here to avoid his mother's orders to run errands for her.

Sapphire seemed to have bought his excuse, much to his relief. He sat on the carpet beside the Snorlax beanbag she's been sitting on and let out a sigh. At least he could rest from all that hiking. He sat there for a while until Sapphire noticed something in him and decided to break the silence.

"Ya look tired."

"Eh?" Ruby met her beautiful gaze and looked into her eyes. Before he could say something else, a pair of soft, yet strong hands caressed his left cheek and his right hand. "Sapph..." Her touch somehow eliminated all of his denials and responds. He let out a sigh of defeat.

She was right.

He was tired because of what happened last night. He just couldn't stop thinking about that certain question. It kept on bugging him and he couldn't help but have a little war with himself.

"I said ya look tired," She removed her left hand on his cheek and placed it on his hat. He nodded, giving his permission to remove it. She gently removed his hat and traced her left fingers around his scar. He shivered a bit at first but later relaxed on her soft touch. It was her first time touching that scar on his head and honestly, it made him feel better.

The pain is still fresh emotionally, but he knew he was not alone to bear that pain anymore. After all, he had her. That scar separated them once, and yet, it brought them together again. Life was definitely full of surprises. He was glad to have her back in his life. It would be dull and worthless without her in it. To his astonishment, she removed her hand on his scar and planted a kiss on it. Her kiss made his heart beat faster than the usual and a slight blush crept on his cheeks. His exhaustion disappeared thanks to that kiss. She then gently placed his head on her lap and stroked his hair. She certainly had a way of making him feel better. "Ya feel better?"

Ruby's lips curved into an affectionate smile. If there was a word greater than it, then that would be his answer. "More than that. Thank you, Sapphire."

Sapphire gave him a toothy grin and stroked his sideburns. Nothing could make her happier than helping Ruby feel better. Whenever he was okay, she was okay as well. "I'm glad."

His smile grew wider. She was absolutely adorable. He never had the guts to say it out loud, but everything about her is beautiful. He gently grabbed her right hand and intertwined their fingers. The contact made the temperature on her cheeks rise. He slowly placed the back of her hand on his lips and kissed it affectionately. The blush on her cheeks turned red. She was starting to wonder when she would not blush whenever he kissed her. She often feels embarrassed about her blushing.

"Wait, what did just...?" What he did make him realized something. He removed his hand on hers and sat up on the carpet with one hand rubbing his forehead.

"Eh?" Confusion was written all over her face. What was going on? He said he was alright a few seconds ago, but how come he just stood up from her lap as if nothing happened? His problem seemed bigger than she thought. It was usually she who would break their romantic moment due to humiliation. Doing it the other way was odd and new to her. "Ruby, what—"

"I'm sorry, Sapph. I... I wasn't thinking about my actions back then," He averted his gaze at her and breathed heavily. Due to the circumstances and his opinions last night, he thought she wasn't ready to have a romantic relationship with him. It further leads him to think about his actions and gestures whenever he was around her, especially when they were *alone together, for those were mostly romantic ones.

She may feel embarrassed about it upon noticing the blush on her cheeks, but thank goodness she's still tolerating those romantic gestures. They were not yet a couple, and he must respect her despite that. He must control his romantic gestures and/or actions towards her until they're officially together. He didn't want to lose her; he's afraid to.

"W-What actions?" Sapphire asked in a confused tone. She stood up from the Snorlax beanbag and sat on the carpet a few inches away from him. She placed her hand on his shoulder in hopes to comfort him. "Y-Ya don't make any sense, Ruby! What's goin' on with ya?!"

Ruby spun around to face her. She looked absolutely confused, and... worried? No, that wasn't right. Why would she be worried? He was only respecting her privacy since she seemed uncomfortable at the earlier. It's best not to tell her his reason. It would make her more anxious, and he didn't want that to happen. "N-Nothing. I'm fine." He mentally cursed his anxious tone. He hoped she wouldn't notice it.

"Yer tone says ya aren't!" She removed her hand on his shoulder and placed it on his chest. His heartbeat was fast. Something was definitely troubling him. "What's troublin' ya? Ya know I'll do what I can to help."

Her touch made him relaxed a bit. Honestly, she didn't need to worry about him. He could take care of this problem on his own. "I told you, I'm fine."

"Yer not. Why can't ya just tell me?!" Sapphire's face was red due to anger, confusion, and anxiety. Why couldn't he tell her?! How come he was pushing her away?! How come he was shutting her out?! What's going on with him?!

"Sapph," He managed to say in spite of his trembling tone. "I told you, I'm fine."

"No yer not!"

"Yes, I am!"

"Yer lying ya idiot!"

"I-I'm not!" He backed off a few inches from her. She must know he was lying because of his rapid heartbeat. "I did make a promise not to lie right?! Therefore, I'm not lying!"

"Ya can go and deny all ya want!" Sapphire gave him a mix of worried and miserable look. She took a deep breath and told something to him out of her accent, "You are not alright!"

He averted his gaze at her and stared at the carpet. Why was she so worried? His problem was not a big deal. He could handle it on his own. "Why do you care?" His tone sounds anxious and relieved. He appreciated her concern, but it was best to not let her interfere. This was his problem.

Sapphire let out a sigh of defeat. Wasn't her reason clear enough for him? If he needed to be reminded, then she would be glad to repeat it. She clenched her fists and quickly went closer to him. There were no more spaces between them even a millimeter. She grabbed his shirt collar and forced him to look into her eyes. He could easily read its emotions—concerned, depressed and puzzled. "I care because I love you, idiot!" She spoke again out of her accent and with all the affection she could muster.

Ruby opened his mouth to respond. He planned on telling her to let him go and repeat that he was alright, but his words betrayed him again. He tried stopping himself from saying it, but he couldn't. His emotions have taken control of him. "I love you too, but I don't think you're ready for taking this relationship further. That's why I have to keep my distance. That's why I have to control my romantic gestures. I still need to act like your friend and not your boyfriend yet."

His confession made her remove her grip on his shirt collar. She gave him a puzzled look. That was his problem? Why didn't he tell her sooner? It was true what she said back then that she wasn't ready, but she would be ready when he is. After all, they couldn't force each other to make it work. She didn't want to risk their friendship if things didn't work out either. A part her hoped and prayed for it to work, but it wasn't enough to make her relieved from hesitating. "Who told ya that?"

Ruby mentally cursed himself. He was supposed to keep this one to himself! He didn't want to worry her. He let out a sigh. It looked like he has to tell the truth. There was no other option. "I... just..." He gathered all his courage and looked into her eyes. She had to know that he was telling the truth despite that she already knew he was. "I just thought you were, so I had to control myself. I have to resist the urge to hug or even kiss you. Because... I respect your privacy. I-I love and respect you, Sapphire. I don't want to make you uncomfortable. I... don't wanna risk our friendship."

Sapphire's gaze suddenly became interested in the carpet. Ruby may be selfish and often thinks of himself, but deep down she knows he was selfless. His selflessness was starting to become clearer the longer they get to know each other. But he doing all of these for her was undeniably surprising. She really appreciated it. It was enough to make her speechless. "I... I-I..."

"I... I understand if you want to be alone." Ruby stood up from his seat. He wanted to pat off the dirt on his clothes, but he felt like it was worthless. It would get dirty again on his hike home. "I... guess... I guess I'll see you later." He gave her an affectionate smile and grabbed the hat on the carpet then put it on. He walked his way out of the cave at a slow pace. He was glad that he had resisted the urge to give her a kiss. He didn't want to ruin anything after giving his word.

Sapphire stood up from her seat. She tried to tell him something, but no words came out. She mentally cursed her timidity. It ruined everything. She was supposed to ask a lot of questions regarding their possible romantic relationship, but instead of asking, she was left speechless. She bit her lip. If she weren't too timid to talk about it, then this wouldn't happen.

_This is a disgrace._  She clenched her fists as hard as she could until it bleeds. The pain didn't bother her. In fact, she thought she deserved it. She ran away from the cave fast. Once she stepped out of it, she jumped and grabbed a vine. She swung her way back to Littleroot town.

Ruby stopped in his tracks the second he saw her jumped and swung her way back home. His eyes widened in terror after seeing blood bleed out of her palms. "Wait, Sapphire!" His call didn't make the wild girl stop on her fast swings. It made him more anxious than before. Why was she bleeding? She often had a bad habit of hurting herself whenever she failed or felt like a disgrace. He had to know what's going on. His steps became faster every second and dashed off to catch up to her.

He picked up his pace after a few minutes of running out of the forest. In spite of his fast run, she was nowhere to be found. She was probably in her room or she flew off somewhere else with Troppy. He hoped she didn't fly away with Troppy. He didn't want to wait for days or even months to see her. It would break his heart terribly.

Ruby quickly stopped on his tracks once he saw someone blocked the way. His anxiety and purpose to help his girl suddenly disappeared at the unwanted guest's presence. Instead, it brought an irk look on his face. Out of all the people he wanted to see today, why did it have to be him?! How did that guy even manage to get here again?! Nonetheless, he was uninterested in the details. All he wanted was to see him leave. "What are you doing here?" He asked with an irked tone.

"Oh hey, Ruby. Oh man, I shouldn't have waved my hand at you. It freakishly hurts!" Zach gently dropped his left arm to ease the pain. He let out a sigh of relief and gave the lad a sheepish smile. "What's up?"

Ruby glared at him and went closer. "I told you not to ask her out! She's not interested and she will never be!" He could feel anger and jealousy burning inside of him. He didn't have time for this honestly. He already had enough emotional pain from his thoughts. He couldn't afford to have another one from him.

"Whoa," Zach cooed and backed off from him. "...calm down."

Ruby's glare on the peculiar man intensified. He knew he was here to ask her on a date. The mere thought of it made his jealousy boil more intensely than before. He wished he had the guts to ask her out as he did. "I'll be calm if you leave her alone."

Zach flinched at the lad's glare on him. His jealousy was more intense than he thought. "Okay, first of all, how long were you running in that forest? You certainly had running shoes, so why didn't you use them? Second, I will leave her alone. She came here five minutes before you came here. I did ask her to go on a date with me again, but she responded with a punch on my left arm really hard. I feel like my bone cracked. And you know what she told me? She said she already liked someone, so I have to stop there. And then I saw you running out on the forest after a mere four minutes she dumped me. Well, not really dumped, but rather rejected. I—"

Ruby's glare disappeared as Zach's second statement started. "Wait, what?" In spite of his rant, he absolutely heard everything he said. He just needs confirmation.

Zach gave him a painful yet arrogant smirk. "She is one heck of a puncher. I swear I need to go to the hospital to have my arm checked."

"No, the other one."

Zach's smirk disappeared. He hated telling this, but he had to. "She rejected my date offer again and told me that she already liked someone. I mean, if she likes someone, I respect that. There's nothing I can do. Although it hurts, I gotta accept the bitter truth."

Ruby's gaze went on the ground. He couldn't believe that Zach would now leave her alone after knowing she already liked someone. He was expecting he would stop asking her out when they were officially dating. It looked like his desire came sooner than expected. "I... I didn't expect that'll just simply stop you."

"Huh? Oh yeah. I mean, who am I to force her? She already liked someone, whoever the lucky guy is, and there's nothing I can do but to let it go and move on. I mean, there is plenty of water Pokémon in the sea, eh? Or however that saying goes."

Ruby met his gaze. He gave him a serious look and nodded. "It's nice to know that."

Zach nodded back. "Well, I guess there's no reason for you to be jealous, eh?"

Ruby folded his arms across his chest and averted his gaze at the man. He may have told Sapphire that he was jealous at Zach, but there was no way he would say it directly to him. It was for the sake of his pride after all. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Zach let out a snicker. "Man, you're still too stubborn to admit it, eh? Oh, shoot! You do get jealous to whoever that guy she likes." His snicker turned into an unpleasant groan at the thought of the guy she likes. "That damn lucky bastard. Well, whoever he is."

Ruby responded by rolling his eyes at him. He badly wants to tell Zach that he was the guy she liked. Well, more like the guy she loves, but he controlled himself not to. He didn't want to waste his time on this guy.

"Anyway," Zach took out a Poké Ball in his pocket using his right hand. He tossed it in the air and a gigantic bird-like Pokémon came out of it. It flaps its wings and soared around Littleroot several seconds it came out. After that, it approached its master with an elated look. "Hey Ben," He patted its head using his right hand while the Pokémon chirped back to its master. "Oh, by the way, this is Ben, my Braviary. As much as I love to talk more about him, we need to go to the hospital. Ben?"

"Whoa," Ruby mumbled as quiet as he could while looking at the flying type with awe. Zach definitely deserved some kudos, for it was perfectly groomed. Its feathers were dazzling to look at. It felt like it had never touched dirt in its lifetime. As much as he wanted to say that it was beautiful out loud, he prevented himself from saying it. If he complimented his Pokémon, it would make the conversation longer and he despised that.

The Braviary lowered himself a bit to let its master climb on its back. Zach managed to in spite of his aching left arm. He turned to the charmer and gave him a smile. "Anyway, I'll see you around, Ruby. Let's go, buddy! Ouch! Arm." He gently dropped his left arm and Braviary flapped its wings to leave the town. "Hey Ben, remind me not to use my left arm until it's cured."

Ruby let out a sigh once Zach left Littleroot. It looked like he got rid of him, and it was all thanks to Sapphire. He made a mental note to thank her for it. He then turned his attention at the Birch's household. If Zach saw her around Littleroot, then it was possible she must be in her room to avoid the peculiar man after that horrid punch. He let out a determined sigh. It's time to talk to her.

* * *

 

"Sapphire? I need to talk to you. Sapph, I know you can hear me!" Ruby knocked the house's front door. His first three sets of knocks weren't answered which made him worry.

Did Sapphire never want to see him again? Was she mad at him?

He shook his head at the thought. Why would she be mad at him? As far as he could recall, he did absolutely nothing wrong. Well, except a few romantic gestures he did these past days and a few hours ago. He clenched his fists and teeth after another unanswered knock.

What's going on? How come she wasn't answering?

He knows she's here. Where else she could be? If she flew away with Troppy, then Zach's left arm wouldn't be aching. He was certain the peculiar guy wasn't dumb enough to punch his own arm. No one could break one's arm unless it was Sapphire's doing. He knocked on the door again, in hopes she would answer it this time. "Sapphire, please let me in!"

Several seconds passed, no one was still answering the door. He let out a sigh to ease his impatience and anxiety. It looked like he had no other option.

He shrugged off his backpack and opened it. He rummaged through the stuff in his bag looking for the Birch's main door keys. He found it after a few seconds and tightened his grip on it. Last year, Professor Birch gave him the keys in their house in case there would be an emergency. This situation was an emergency in his perspective. Therefore, he would use this key. He closed his bag and placed it around on his back. He let out a sigh.

_Here goes nothing._

"Sapphire, I'm going in!" He placed the key in its keyhole and twists it clockwise. The door was unlocked much to his relief. He removed the key in the hole and put it in his pocket. He held on to the doorknob and turned it. The door opened and he peered behind it. "Sapph?" He scanned the area. Sapphire was nowhere to be found. She must be in her room.

"Sapph, I'm inside your house! I'm going into your room!" Ruby went inside the house and scampered his way upstairs. He turned his pace on the left to approach her room. He stopped on his tracks a few inches away from the room's door. He breathed.

It's time to set things right. It's time to know what's going on.

"Sapphire! I know you're in there. Please, just talk to me. I need to know what's going on. I... need to know if you're alright." His tone was full of anxiety. Whether it was a simple problem or not as long as she was involved with it, he couldn't help but put her safety above anyone else.

It explained why he pushed her into Wallace's air car before the battle begins. It explained why he strictly told everyone not to tell about the meteorite that's going to destroy this planet in a matter of days.

Despite those, she often ended up getting involved in the problem which emotionally hurts him. Why did she need to get involved and get hurt in every dire situation? He knew it was her job as a Pokédex holder to help save the world or their region, but her safety is his main concern. Her safety is the reason why he keeps on fighting. Because whenever he won every battle, he could come home and see her. He was afraid to lose her. He let out a sigh.

Those were in the past, nonetheless. It was time to take initiative to be with her to face this problem. He shouldn't be self-centered for any longer.

On the other side of the door, Sapphire was sitting on the floor with her knees on her chest, and her hands clasped together to prevent blood to spread everywhere around her room. She heard everything from the moment Ruby started knocking at their main door. She opted not to answer especially in her case. Her palms were still bleeding. She didn't have the guts to say a word to him.

Her gaze went on her door. Just like she concluded, he would not give up until she's okay. His stubbornness was partially a good and bad thing. It was true stubbornness is a negative trait, but it also helped them in dire conditions like this.

She stood up from her seat and rummaged through her pile of dirty clothes. It was time to be brave and face him. She couldn't bear this problem alone. She needed his help. She found two clean handkerchiefs on top of the drawer cabinet and grabbed it instead of the dirty clothes she planned to use. She rolled it around her right and left palms to prevent its bleeding.

"I'm going in!" Ruby opened the door scampered his way inside her room. He scanned the area to look for the wild girl. A relieved smile curved on his lips once he saw her.  _She's here. Thank goodness._

Although, his smile disappeared once he saw her hands covered by handkerchiefs. "Wait, what's wrong with your hands?" He frantically approached the girl. She stared at him with confusion. Her plan was to open the door to let him in, but it looked like he finished the task first. He grabbed her hands on impulse and looked at her with worry in his eyes. Her only response is to continue staring at him with confusion.

"Is it still bleeding? It's best to put bandages on it. I have a first aid kit in my bag. Hold on, I'll get it." He approached her bed and sat on it. He took off his backpack and placed it on his lap. He opened it and rummaged through the stuff in it. "Got it." He smiled in relief and took out a first aid kit. "Come on," He gestured her to sit beside him. She stared at him for a few seconds but followed his instructions. She approached and sat beside him.

"It won't hurt, I promise." He gave her a reassuring yet affectionate smile and placed his hands on hers. In spite of the handkerchiefs around her hands, she could still feel the warmth coming from him. She blushed at that. He opened the first aid kit and grabbed an antibiotic ointment and a sterile bandage.

"You've washed your hands first, right?" She responded with a nod. "Alright then. I'll just need to apply the ointment and the bandage. This'll be done soon. We just need to stop the bleeding."

He removed the handkerchief on her left hand first and applied the ointment. She winced a bit from the pain. Her clench on her fists must be too strong. The uncontrollable excess pressure she applied thanks to her sharp fingernails resulted in her palms to bleed.

After applying the ointment and bandage on her left hand, he proceeded to aid her right hand. Sapphire just kept quiet on the entire first aid procedure. She was glad he was there to help. After all, she didn't want to make her father worry as well due to these bleeding palms. "Yer done?"

"Yep," Ruby removed his hands on her right hand and placed the ointment and the bandage in the first aid kit. He returned the first aid kit in his bag and closed it. He let out a sigh of relief and held her hands gently. He managed to stop the bleeding, and he was glad he did. He wouldn't know what else to do if the bleeding continued. "I'm just glad you're alright." He brought her hands up and planted a kiss on it.

Sapphire cheeks became rosy at the kiss. It made her twice as better.

Ruby let out a disappointed groan and gently removed his hands on hers. He broke his word again. When would he learn? He averted his eyes at her. He couldn't look at her after what he'd done. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that."

Sapphire let out a sigh and placed her left hand on his shoulder. She scooted closer and used her right hand to cup his cheek. Her contact brought a slight pink hue on his cheeks. "You've done nothin' wrong."

"I know, I—Wait, what?" He met her gaze with wonder. "What do you mean? I broke my word."

"Ya did, technically speakin'." She responded and removed her hand on his cheek. "But it's actually my fault fer not sayin' anythin' when we were in the cave. I should..." She bit her lip. Now was not the time to be reluctant. She had to tell him now. "I wanna say somethin' before ya leave, but no words even my voice won't come out. That's why I punished myself by clenching my fists until my palm started bleedin'. I didn't think that it'll worry you too. It's my fault. I should have said somethin'. I know ya were just respectin' me and all." It was now her turn to avert her gaze at him. She bit her lip again as her aura was being surrounded by guilt, melancholy, and anxiety.

Unbeknownst to her, he scooted closer until there were no spaces between them. He gently cupped her right cheek and turned her beautiful face to look at him. He smiled affectionately. "It's my fault as well. I shouldn't have kept this problem alone. After all, we have each other. We can take care of this problem together."

She smiled back at him. "I guess it's both our fault."

"I guess it is." He responded with a shrug.

A comfortable silence surrounds them with their rapid heartbeats and warm breaths as the only noises. Sapphire first decided to break it. "So... does this mean we're even?"

"It appears so," He placed his left arm around her waist and pulled her closer. Their faces were now a few centimeters apart. "May I?"

"Yeah," She gently nodded.

They both closed their eyes. Ruby titled his head a bit and pressed his lips on hers. Warmth spread through them as he pulled her closer to deepen the kiss. Sapphire responded by placing her arms around the back of his neck and adding the pressure to deepen their kiss further.

Several seconds later, they slowly pulled apart to gasp for air while Ruby's arm hadn't left her waist. "I guess that settles it?"

"Eh?" Sapphire was left dumbfounded. After a few seconds of staring at him, she finally got it. Does this mean...? "I..."

Ruby smiled at her adorable yet confused look. She never ceased to make him smile. He planted a kiss on her forehead and cupped her right cheek. She met his gaze. "That is if you're ready."

"I..." She bit her lip again. It was now her chance! She had to tell him! There was no turning back now! "If... If you're ready, then, I will be."

This was another one of his imaginations, right? He blinked a few times, registering what she just said.

Well, it looked like it wasn't. His smile grew wider as a blissful chuckle escaped off his lips. He couldn't believe this is happening! Honestly, he didn't know she would be ready when he was!

Did that mean their shyness was the one that's been stopping them?  _Whoa! This is amazing!_  It may not be in the perfect place like asking her to be his girlfriend after or during their first date like he fantasized, but who cares! They were finally ready to take their relationship to more than just plain friendship. She would finally be his from now on.

It felt like he can save the world again. It felt like he could conquer all the contests again just for a day! He was currently full gratitude. "I-I am! I... I am!" He removed his hand on her cheek and placed it under her knees. He scooped her up and carried her in a bridal style mode.

"Ruby! What the...?" Sapphire placed her hands around the back of his neck. His action definitely surprised her. What has gotten into him?

Ruby let out a blissful laugh and plopped on the bed with Sapphire on top of him. This results in a massive blush on her cheeks. They have spent many nights and days together, but being laid on top of his chest wasn't one of those. She couldn't even imagine sleeping with him and/or on his chest! The thought made her blush. Curse that thought! He smiled at her reaction. Why on earth she was so cute? He couldn't stop smiling at her. He brought his right hand up to cup her cheek. Her blush deepened. "Does that mean you're my girlfriend now?"

The question made her blush further deepens its color. She placed her hands on the fabric of his shirt and gripped it gently. She gave him a warm smile with one fang sticking out. "Yes, yes I would love to."

Ruby gave her another smile. Her approval made him the happiest man alive. She was his now. He still couldn't believe it. If this were a dream, he would never want to wake up from it.

He responded by hoisting himself up and placing his left arm perpendicular to the bed. He closed the gap between them and kissed her passionately. It surprised her at first, but she later melted into it. She gently gripped on his shirt collar and pulled him closer to deepen the kiss. It made their heartbeat in the same rhythm and warmth spread throughout as their kiss grew longer and more passionate. They slowly pulled apart to gasp for air. Ruby plopped into the bed once again with one arm returning around her waist.

"Words can't describe my happiness," He happily said after gasping for breath. "Thank you, Sapphire. You won't regret it, I promise. No... I assure you... You will never regret it."

Sapphire responded with another smile. "I assure ya... Ya won't regret it as well."

"I love you," He said while caressing her cheek. She was very precious to him. She was very important to him. Now that she was finally his, he could finally give her everything she deserved.

"I love you too," She spoke out of her accent and kissed the tip of his nose. It brought a slight blush on his cheeks. It looks like he wasn't used to it as well. "Anyway," She squirmed her way out of his grasp and sat on the bed. She held on to her chest to ease her rapid heartbeat. Some things just never changed.

"Oh sorry," Ruby sat up in the bed and scooted closer to her. He encircled his arms around her waist and placed his forehead on hers. "I didn't know you're uncomfortable at that."

His proximity brought back her rapid heartbeat and the blush on her cheeks. She definitely needed to get used on his romantic gestures. "I-It's okay, I'll eventually get used to it."

"Well then," A sly smirk appeared on his lips and brought her face closer to his. "lLet's get started. It won't do it by itself."

The blush on her cheeks deepened. She gave him a pouty look. "Silly."

He chuckled at her response. "I love you too," He closed the gap between them for another heated and passionate `make-out session.

* * *

 

The sun shone beautifully signaling another beautiful day to come.

Sapphire opened her eyes as the sun's rays reflected and refracted through her window and hit her closed eyes. She let out a soft yawn and a blush appeared on her cheeks.

Due to the circumstances yesterday, she spent the rest of the day cuddling and talking to the man she loved. As a result, they 'accidentally' slept together in her bed. There was no one but them in their house while Ruby's parents didn't even bother to go to her house and ask his whereabouts. She guessed they just trusted them enough to be alone together.

Her father, on the other hand, borrowed Troppy yesterday to meet up with Professor Rowan in Slateport City. He told her he would return today, but she didn't know what's the exact time. To make matters more uncomfortable, she woke up with Ruby's face too close to hers. His warm breath tickled her now red nose while his arms were around her in a protective hug. She just hoped her father wasn't here yet. Seeing them in this state would be absolutely humiliating.

She fidgeted her way out of his grasp which made the charmer wake up.

He gently opened his eyes and gave her an affectionate smile. "Good morning, Sapph. What's the rush?" He removed his arms around her and sat up in her bed. "Am I making you uncomfortable?"

"I'm just gonna check if dad's home," She went off the bed and stood up. "I'll be right back."

"I'm going," He too went off the bed and stood up. He stretched his arms and approached her.

"I've waken ya up. Ya can go back to sleep now."

"It's worthless without you."

His response made the temperature on her cheeks rise. She found that cute and a bit embarrassing. They just began their romantic relationship, and they have already slept together. It was not that she's against it. They did have spent a lot of nights together, but sleeping literally a few inches or centimeters away from him was partially uncomfortable. "If I did decline, ya'll just disagree."

He scooted closer to her and placed a kiss on her forehead. "Exactly," He gave her another affectionate smile and offered his hand at her. "Well then, let's go."

Sapphire let out a sigh and accepted his hand. He linked their fingers together and brought the back of her hand on his lips. He planted a kiss on it which made her blush return. Well, so much for not getting caught together in her room. "Come on."

"Lead the way."

Sapphire opened the door in her room and they went outside. They stopped at the sight of the door leading to the professor's room. She pressed her left ear on it to listen to her father's loud snore. She let out a sigh. He was not in his room, and she hoped he wasn't in the house yet.

The smell of waffles and freshly brewed coffee caught her scent. He must be downstairs preparing breakfast. The thought made shivers ran through her spine. If her father was already here, then there was a chance he might have checked her room to see if she were still sleeping. It made her heart beat fast from anxiety. She couldn't face her father if he did see them sleeping together. She had the sudden urge to get out them out of here using the window and drag Ruby to their secret base.

"Sapphire, are you okay?"

She snapped out of her thoughts when the charmer's face was too close on hers. He gently cupped her cheek to comfort her. "D-Dad might be downstairs."

"Well then, let's go see him." He responded bluntly, unaware of the circumstances.

"N-No, bad idea." She exclaimed in a quiet voice and dragged him to her room. "Dad might wonder why you're here."

"Hey," He stopped on his tracks and pulled her closer. He cupped her cheek again and pressed his lips on hers. Sapphire stared at him for a moment, still having a hard time registering what happened. He gently pulled away and kissed her forehead. "I'm sure the professor will understand. I did have his permission."

"Ya know kissin' me isn't a good time and no it'll be embarrassin'. Wait, what do ya mean his permission?" She gave him a confused look. Her father told nothing about this so-called permission after his 'manly' talk with Ruby. The professor only asked what was going on with their relationship which made her avoid the topic by immediately going into her room.

"He gave me his permission to ask you out." He responded with a shrug.

"Eh?" A slight blush appeared on her cheeks. This was totally humiliating. "W-What else did he tell ya?"

A sly smirk appeared on his lips. "It's our man talk. I can't just give away all the details."

She pouts at his response and muttered, "Idiot."

Her adorable gesture made him chuckle blissfully. "I'm kidding. I'll tell you later. Now," He gently squeezed her hand and gently dragged her downstairs. "Breakfast isn't eating itself."

"Fine," She mumbled, still pouting. She's starting to wonder why he wasn't feeling a bit embarrassed. Maybe he's hungry.

* * *

 

The smell of waffles, whipped cream, coffee, and fresh berries greeted them once the couple made it downstairs along with a surprise visit from someone. Their faces darkened at the person's presence.

"Well," Their senior, Blue, stopped reading the newspaper and placed it on the table. She smiled mischievously and winked at them. "If it isn't Hoenn's number one couple."

"B-Blue?" Sapphire choked out their senior's name and gave her an angry yet surprised look. They were both mentally asking the same questions. How did she know that they were already a couple in less than twenty-four hours and how did she manage to get here?

"That's right. Does the lovely couple miss me?" She spoke in a mischievous tone.

"Oh Sapphire, Ruby, glad you two are awake." Professor Birch went into the scene, holding a plate of waffles and later placed it on the table. "By the way, Ruby, your parents are coming over here for breakfast. Why don't you two take a seat? We'll talk about this later. I'm pretty sure you're both happy to see Blue here."

"Oh, I'm pretty sure they're mentally screaming that they're happy to see me, professor." Blue clasped her hands together and let out a playful laugh.

_Not really._  Ruby and Sapphire thought, still dumbfounded at the situation. In fact, it was getting worse every second for later, both of their parents and their senior Blue were going to ask a lot of questions about their relationship. They desperately wanted to get out of here. Ruby regretted following his hungry stomach.

"Well then, I'm glad to hear that!" The professor laughed along with Blue causing the couple to blush. "Anyway, I'll be in the kitchen if you need me." He proceeded to the kitchen leaving the couple alone with their matchmaking friend.

"This is awkward," Sapphire mumbled to Ruby and removed her hand on the lad. She approached the table and sat on the chair.

"Oh dear, it isn't at all." Blue mischievously giggled and made a comforting gesture. To the couple, it only made things worse. "Just wait until the other seniors and juniors found out about this. You know it's finally nice that you two are officially together. It's worth the wait." She took her mug of coffee and took a sip in it.

Sapphire's gaze was fixed on the plate of waffles. Her blush couldn't help but deepen its color due to embarrassment and anger. She seriously needed to talk to her senior about telling it to the other Pokédex holders, and she wasn't taking no for an answer. She took a glance at her boyfriend who just sat beside her. He too was blushing at the situation.

"Ah, can you feel the love tonight? Well, more like today." Blue let out a soft laugh after a moment of silence. "I first hooked up Red and Yellow together, then Gold and Crys, and now you guys. My shippings are definitely coming true!" She turned her attention to Ruby and a mischievous smirk appeared on her lips. "But yours was unintentional. I actually come with a plan to finally let you guys be together. That's why I'm here to make that plan work, but you did all the work for me."

"Gee, yer welcome," Sapphire responded sarcastically and took the milk carton on the table. She placed some milk in her glass and drank it all. Drinking milk often made her feel better.

"Oh, I'm definitely full of gratitude!" Blue happily exclaimed and let out a chuckle, making the atmosphere and the couple's auras tenser. "By the way, I heard you were jealous, Ruby."

Ruby let out an irked groan and folded his arms across his chest. There's no way he would tell his senior that he is jealous. Sapphire is the only one who needed to know about it. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Aww, denial much?" Blue teased the charmer while he just rolled his eyes at her. She pouted at his response. Why on earth some guys were too stubborn to admit their jealousy?  _If he can play it that way._  She then turned her attention on the charmer's girlfriend. "Sapphire, your boyfriend is being mean."

"Eh?" Sapphire's cheeks instantly blushed at the word. She was not yet used to it that's for sure. "H-How did ya even found out we're... we're..." She bit her lip. They may be together, but she somehow couldn't say it out loud. It was very uncomfortable to say it, honestly.

"What Sapphire is trying to say," Ruby intervened and looked at his girlfriend. He gave her an affectionate smile and unfolded his arms on his chest. He held on to her left hand but made sure their senior didn't see it. His hand on hers deepened her blush further. She swore her face's color was similar to Silver's hair color. He gave their senior a serious look and spoke with a serious tone, "How did you know? We've only been together for a day. At least... in less than twenty-four hours, actually."

Blue let out a contented laugh at his question and gave them a mischievous wink. `"It's called a hustle, sweetheart."

Ruby let out an exasperated sigh at her response while Sapphire just rolled her eyes at Blue. They didn't get what she meant, but if they could be a hundred percent certain on one thing, then that would be Blue being herself.

She practically knew  _everything_  about  _anyone_. She could easily hook up two people to be together. She could easily get what she needed [via blackmail]. It won't surprise them, though it would make them embarrassed if she found out about their relationship sooner than expected.

Today's breakfast is going to be really awkward for them. They hoped this odd nightmare would be over already.

"Oh cheer up you two. At least you love birds together now, right?" Blue gave another mischievous smile at the couple. She finds it fun to tease them. She couldn't wait to tell Silver and Green, if he was interested or would at least listen to her, about this.

Ruby let out another exasperated sigh and stared at the ceiling for a bit. He hated to admit it, but their senior was right. They have each other and that's what mattered. He looked at his girlfriend with an affectionate smile. She saw his smile which made a slight blush appearing on her cheeks. She squeezed his hand gently and smiled back with one fang sticking out. Yep. He had her now, and he would make sure that she would be his for all eternity.

_Wait, what?!_  The thought almost made him fall from the chair. For all eternity means that one day, he would ask her hand for marriage. Was that what he really wanted? Honestly, he didn't need to hesitate. He also wanted to spend the rest of his life with and only Sapphire, his precious wild girl. His smile grew wider.  _I'll definitely ask her hand for marriage... when the right time comes._

* * *

**Bonus Ending:**

"Now smile for the camera!" Blue beamed happily and snapped a photo of them with a flash. "Aww, you two look so cute!" After taking their photo, she immediately placed the camera in her bag. She held on to her bag tightly just in case Sapphire might take it from her and destroy it.

"Eh?" The couple blinked for a few seconds. After registering everything that had happened, Sapphire glared at their senior.

"Blue, ya better delete that photo at once!" Sapphire yelled angrily with a deep blush on her face due to anger and humiliation. She stood from her seat.

"Apparently I can't dear." Blue winked and stuck her tongue out.

"Well, then I guess I'll hafta do this myself!" Sapphire approaches their senior to snatch her bag, but only to be stopped by Ruby with his arms around her waist. "Let me go ya prissy boy!"

"Sapph, as much as I want you to destroy that camera, you have to mind your manners on the table." Ruby pulled her closer and sat on his chair which made the conqueror to sit on his lap. "Let's do it after breakfast."

Sapphire puffed some air out of her nose sourly. This is going to be a long day. "Fine."

"Uh... Don't tell me you two are going to eat breakfast like that." Professor Birch said to catch their attention and pointed at the couple's positions.

Sapphire flinched herself from Ruby's grasp and stood up. How long was her father standing there?!

Her sudden move made the chair to fall down with Ruby on it. "Ow," He said painfully.

"I... uh... I'll continue making some more waffles." Professor Birch went back to the kitchen leaving the frantic couple and their giggling friend alone.

"Way to ruin the mood, Sapphire," Blue said and continued giggling mischievously with no response from the couple.

"Ruby, ya alright? I'm sorry." Sapphire helped the lad stood up and placed its chair back to its position. Ruby sat on it again and let out a sigh.

This is definitely the most awkward breakfast he had ever experienced.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> `Zootopia reference  
> `First of all, I CAN EXPLAIN I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT IT MEANS UNTIL THIS YEAR AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
> 
> Whew, it's done. Finally. I may edit this in the future since I suck at first and second and even the third editing so... ~~I'M CRINGING AS I EDIT THIS. DEADPOOL, SHOOT ME!~~
> 
> But yeah, this is my very **first** Pokespe fanfic. It's different compared to my other fics. Yeah, I know I could rewrite it but I'm busy on working on a new fic (Incomplete and another one I just started writing this month. No surprise it's franticshipping). I never expected to write a lot of them now. It's what all I do in my free time, but hey, I have a ko-fi account (cap_cavern) so....yeah ;w;

**Author's Note:**

> `Let's just say that's the Pokémon world's version of Starbucks Coffee.


End file.
